Daughter of the Dragon of Shu
by kayladw7
Summary: Liu Xing, daughter of Liu Bei, must decide between her blood ties to Shu and her debt to Wei. REWRITE
1. Chapter 1

A/N: After much deliberation I've decided to rewrite _Daughter of the Dragon of Shu_.

The plot and storyline will be much different and hopefully much smoother in this version than the last. I hope everyone enjoys it just as much though. Thank you in advance for any reviews and constructive critiques. Happy reading!

* * *

It is in times of chaos and hell that heroes rise from the ashes. Phoenixes, as she liked to call them. Most were ordinary men with either little to no experience with a sword or men who had come bearing the privilege of a former warrior teaching them to kill without being killed. Those phoenixes would come rescue anyone in their darkest hour – their time of desperate need. Those were what she called heroes.

Yet none had come yet.

Just this morning, it was a beautiful in Xiapi. Birds sang their happy tunes as the streets bustled with people readying themselves for spring's spontaneous weather. Many merchants were hiding some of their merchandise behind their stands rationing themselves as well. Ever since Lu Bu's death and Wei occupancy strengthened, the villagers had to be alert and prepared for an assault on the city at any time.

When Xu Province had been taken from Liu Xing's father by Lu Bu, he found a way for her mother to escape but she left her with her nurse. Even after the tyrannical general's execution and the territory being taken by Wei, neither parent ever turned back for her.

That had been eleven years ago.

In contrast to the perfect morning, everything for the afternoon was hellish. Dead bodies piled up in towering heaps prepped for incineration. Wei soldiers pillaged through the merchant's tables and raided houses for men, women, and children. Any who attempted to resist were run through.

"Let me go fight! I can fight," the little girl insisted and pats her skinny arms. Bao Ming, her fragile old nurse shushed her, eyes shutting as the flimsy wooden door slammed open. Seven burly brutes entered the room. Ming stood as Xing cowered behind her, hazel eyes gleaming up at the men clad in blue.

"I want the kid," one of the men ordered and stepped forward. Three others began searching for any valuables.

"No…" she says with a quivering voice. "Take me instead."

The sides of the tan man's lips turn up in a sadistic smirk as his eyes gleam down on the guardian and child, hand on his sword handle. "I'm afraid I'm not able to take no for an answer today."

The older woman gasped and wrapped her arms around Xing in a tight embrace. With the quirk of his eyebrow, the man turns on his heel. "Take them outside with the others," his gruff voice commands. The other men grinned as they hauled the two women out of the house. Xing could feel the passion of inferno's flames on her face as bodies charred in burning massifs. The screams of women echo throughout the city as the soldiers force themselves upon them before ending them.

"Ming, I'm scared," the child's voice cracked. The old woman smiled reassuringly, her face wrinkling more with smile lines as she ran her fingers through the waterfall of shiny ebony hair framing the small girl's face.

"Whatever happens, we will be together. I promise."

* * *

"I know that she is somewhere in this city. Do not withdraw until she is found."

"Why rummage through the city for a mere child? And a girl at that! Kill her with the rest of these traitors!"

The young Wei strategist stroked his goatee as he listened to his counterparts argue back and forth. Both tacticians were far too proud of their own flawed judgement of the situation to come to verdict without the involvement of the commander. He sighed, scribbling onto a blank scroll. What a nuisance they were.

"Lord Guo Jia, please help me explain to this…this thick imbecile as to why we have no need for such a worthless child. We are wasting away money on a valueless life when we could be doing more to expel the remaining Yuan's."

The tall and lean man scoffed. "No. Explain to this old oaf why it is important to have such an opening! This Liu can be used to draw out Liu Bei. Let us not waste our time arguing over the odious-"

"Master Xun Shao, you have a keen eye. What do you think?" The commanding general asked the contemplating mediator. Continuing to stroke his facial hair, he looked up to the curious three men, ceasing his scrabble.

"As a female, Lady Liu is utterly worthless in regards to her father's blackmail. Nothing shall be gained from using her as bait."

"Precisely as I was saying!" The shorter and choppier general agrees. Shao quickly raises his hand to end the gloating, unfinished with his statement.

"On the other hand, under the circumstance that she goes to him freely, he will no doubt accept her with open arms. Poison her mind against him and you have a perfect…mole." Somewhat chuckling, he raises his cup to his lips and looks at each man. "But of course, that is my opinion."

Between a coughing fit, Jia manages to laugh. "The rising star, aren't you? Managing to outwit two men twice your age with twice as much experience. Yes…I like that and I would like to experiment with it."

Xun Shao raised his hands to salute and filed out of the tent. His men colleagues would need help keeping order with the prisoners. He would like to see how many people were actually spared in the slaughter, not that he cared too much. Anyone loyal to Shu was his mortal enemy and he would not care one bit if they were squashed like bugs.

As he made his way through the camp, he noted a large group of men congregated around naked screaming women. One by one each screech was turned into a gurgle on blood.

"Enough!" His voice commanded. The laughs died down almost immediately and the men stepped away from him. One woman was left alive as she lay in a puddle of black blood. Her body trembled and teeth chattered as she kept her eyes on the bodies next to her. She was a child. Afraid of dying.

"Take these bodies and leave them for the vultures," the young tactician directs all too calmly. Grumbling, the men take the corpses away as he turned his attention back to the girl.

"You're welcome."

"I-I am forever in your debt, my lord," she whispered in a cowardly manner. Her eyes never leave the last body. Briefly his eyes flash to the bloodied old woman and he inwardly smiles. One less Shu loyalist to kill.

"Was she your grandmother?"

She shakes her head, continuing to stare into the lifeless orbs. "She was my nurse…"

"What happened to your mother and father? Were they taken away?"

Once again she shakes her head. As to not show his growing impatience, he smiles. "What's your name? Maybe we can find them."

"They were never here in the first place. They left me when I was a baby." Her eyes finally leave the body as she looks at the blood on her hands, hesitant.

"Bao Ming said that you were looking for them and that's why you came here."

Xun Shao's eyes narrowed. This timid and passive and pathetic little girl was who they were looking for.

 _What a disappointment._


	2. Chapter 2

Liu Xing looked around the shallow tent. Clothes and bags littered the floor, abandoned. A single mat lay amidst the clutter with two stools on either side as if its owner had just gotten off of it. Outside, soldiers loitered about eating provisions and discussing how many kills each got in.

The man who saved her from death lifted the tent flap with a small wooden bowl and frowned, his domineering eyes sweeping the junk. Another man, a doctor, followed behind him with a small bag in his hands. He too frowned as if disgusted before taking hold of arms to inspect. Finding nothing, he threw them back down at her and bowed to the strategist to leave.

The intimidating man shoved the bowl into her hands before sitting on one of the stools. "You need to eat that. I'd suggest before it gets any colder."

She blinks twice, continuing to stare at him. His seriousness seemed to have toned down a bit. Now he seemed somewhat nonchalant.

"Do you at least have a name?" He asks with a sigh as he stroked his goatee.

"What's yours?" She enquires without skipping a beat. The older man frowns, slumping.

"Alright, fine. My name is Xun Shao. Now, what is your name? Don't evade the question this time."

Smiling, she began picking at the rice. "I'm Liu Xing, but of course, you already knew that. You spared me because you think I have information."

Shao smirked. "I see you are not as ignorant as you appeared. So," he leaned in closer, "do you have anything?"

A melodious laugh fills the tent. The tactician raises an eyebrow at the girl's childish mirth. "I've never seen Liu Bei. Since there's been no connection, I highly doubt he'd care that I'm here." She smiles distantly. "You'd been better off letting me die. You'd been spared your time and resources."

His brown eyes scan hers. "It's funny how just fifteen minutes ago you were crying over the loss of a mere nurse-"

"Mother," she corrects with slight anger. "She was more so my mother than a nurse."

"Of course," he plays along. "What do you plan on doing now? There's nothing for you to go back to."

"I'm no fool, my lord. Everyone lived in fear of this army because everyone knows just how…cruel – bordering barbaric – soldiers of Wei can be. You thought that maybe Liu Bei or someone of stronger ties would be here. You get the information you want and then kill them. I don't have information so I'm utterly worthless to your cause. Why do you keep stalling?"

"Is dying truly what you want?" he questions in an almost astonished voice. Xing shrugged. "I have no way to support myself anyway."

Reaching over, he took the bowl away from her. "Do you ever want…revenge?"

She sat down on the mat, a sly smirk spreading on her face. "What would you do if I said yes?"

He stood, continuing to stroke his goatee as the seriousness returned to his face. "I quite sure I'd be able to give it to you. Naturally it wouldn't be immediate, but I can guarantee that the chance will present itself."

"You too have something against him?" Xing asks in a curious tone. While most people had remained loyal to Liu Bei, there were many others who tainted the good thoughts of the former governor. This had led to an increase in support of Cao Wei.

"Don't we all?" he asks coyly as he steps out of the tent, blowing the sole candle out on his way. The sound of an elegant flute reminded her of her nurse which reminded her of the destruction of the city.

Anger rose in her chest like a fire breathing dragon. This was all her father's fault! Because he left her there, innocent people had to die. Innocent people like Bao Ming.

There could be a story for heroes. The phoenixes. And she was determined to be one.

XXX

Guo Jia was standing outside of his tent when his friend passed him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shao's triumphant smirk. "I take it things went well in there?" The younger man simply nodded.

"What exactly did she say?"

"Lady Liu wants revenge. She's out for blood but I don't think she knows that yet."

"She'll learn," he muses. "Anything else?"

Shao moves into the tent, pouring himself wine and sitting. "Either that bitch she was with told her why we were coming or she has excellent intuition. I'll admit that I…underestimated her earlier. Somewhat," he takes a sip. "I think if molded properly she'd make a good right hand."

Jia laughed, pouring himself a drink as well. "Are you to be doing the molding?"

"I haven't the time, but I have a good idea of a tutor in mind. I'm quite sure Lord Cao Cao will be fine with it as well."

His friend nods, looking at the flaps. "I've placed lookouts all around the perimeters."

"Why? Everyone left alive is in custody."

Guo Jia shook his head. "Some had time to evacuate before we sealed off escape routes. It's not likely, but just in case they try something foolish, we need to be able to quickly end it. For now though, less talking and more drinking."

XXX

The journey back to Xu Chang was a long and tedious one. The higher ranking officers forced the infantry to remain orderly and not mingle about in groups. On the rare occasion that they would stop, peasants in the towns being marched through would not approach the soldiers to offer water or food, as if too afraid of being seen as a threat and killed. Liu Xing completely forgot this as soon as they reached the city's stone gates. Farmers, merchants, children and everyone else lined the roads, bowing to the higher in rank men before cheering and waving at the rank-in-file men. Xing smiled as she saw mother's throw themselves at their fathers, husbands and sons.

"Hmm, this is new. You seem quite happy. Almost flabbergasted," Xun Shao notes without bothering to look at her.

"I…I didn't think people of Wei-"

"They're human too. Every soldier – every man, no matter who or what they are fighting for – cares about his family. Well, most do anyway."

"It's beautiful," she remarked calmly. "I'm sure the palace will be even grander."

Sure enough, it was a sight to behold. Silk blue banners and ornate adornments lined the walls. Bureaucrats and court ladies lined the railing regally as if statues. Standing at the top of the steps was a middle aged man clad in royal blue and purple. He watched the people with a certain air of pride, in a way a leader should.

"You," Shao pointed to a group of giggling servants, pushing Xing towards them. "Get her a room somewhere and prepare her for a short trip. This needs to be done before sundown now go."

The eldest servant bowed, gripping Xing's arm. "Yes, my lord. It will be done." The three women scamper down the hall dragging Xing who continues looking back to find the disappeared Xun Shao.

"It would be so much simpler if you'd stop resisting," one spoke in an annoyed tone as she helped undress the child. Her face reddened and she quickly covered herself as she was thrown into a large tub of lukewarm water. Having been days if not a week since her last bath, the water quickly turned brown as the jasmine petals blackened. Rice shampoo rains down on her tresses followed by an ivory comb straightening out her hair. The younger maids giggle and gossip, occasionally gesturing to the tub.

"Purple or blue?" a fragile young girl asks. Her mother frowns and throws a towel at the other ladies before wandering off into another room.

"You looked as if you'd been living in the mountains all of your life," one insults, quickly dressing her in a deep blue kimono with the pattern of a phoenix. Her hair is decorated into hammer bun with a light blue flower and comb before being sent away.

Liu Xing's eyes moved around the walls as the shadows of the candles' flames danced. She heard the laughter and chatter of the nobles down the hall, no doubt enjoying a banquet in celebration of their warriors' homecoming. The delicious aroma of hot rice and expertly seasoned meat buns made her stomach growl and mouth water. She had forgotten just how hungry she was until now. To her dismay, however, the guards two either side of her turned left rather than right and the sounds began to fade along with the idea of getting food.

"It took long enough," Shao frowned as they approached him and his horse. The guards bowed and hurry away.

"Where are we going?" she asked as the strategist helped her onto the horse. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around him. Too in tuned with the stallion to notice her talking, he wordlessly steered out of Xuchang.

It would not take too long to Wen County.

* * *

A tranquil breeze filled the small chamber. The silence, save for the chirping of martins and swallows, was quite unusual considering an infant being in the household. These were the moments he relished the most – being able to study and read without incursion.

The rustle of linen sheets caused him to turn his head. Long brown tresses cascaded down her back as his mistress groggily awoke, allowing the slips to fall to her lap. A pleasant smirk crept onto her face like the morning sun over the horizon at dawn.

"Zhongda," she addressed with a sexual tone. Though not entirely entertained, he kept his eyes on her.

"Lady Bai," he spoke casually. The woman squinted her eyes, frowning but then resumed smirking as she beckoned him back to the bed. "Let's do it again."

The scholar looked down at his scrolls and books, his snake-like eyes glancing up at the door. At any moment, his son could awaken. That would also likely mean that his wife, Zhang Chunhua, would awaken at well. If she were to realize that his concubine was here, the gods only knew what foolish deed she would do to have his attention again. Even if it was at their son's expense.

No. It was not worth the risk.

"No. Forgive me, but I'd rather not deal with my wife's…antics today. I believe it best if you were on your way."

The pale face beauty's face reddened, embarrassed by her rejection. Quickly gathering her robes and throwing them on, she bowed and scurried out. As if nothing had just happened, Sima Yi continued studying the military tactics of Sun Tzu. Time and time again he had done this, perfecting the already perfected strategies that studied since his childhood.

 _All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near._

This is how he viewed the falling of the Han. China was divided between three kingdoms, each warlord claiming to wish restoration to the dying empire.

All three were fools.

A soft knock on his door drew him from his thoughts. Agitated, he snatched his cane from the corner of his desk and walked to the door.

"What?" he barked. The young maid looked startled at him and instantly cast her eyes to her feet.

"Are you to stand there like a mute or will you open your mouth and say what it is you wanted?"

"Y-yes, my lord, there are messengers here from Lord Cao Cao to speak with you. They say that it is an urgent matter."

Heavily sighing, he pushed her out of the way and hobbled down the halls. Two men, a guard and a messenger, bowed to him. Feigning to need more support on the cane, he raised an eyebrow before faking a coughing fit. The two men looked back at one another, unsure of what to do.

"You have a message from our lord," he questioned gruffly yet politely. The messenger looked at his companion once again before removing a formal edict from his bag and handing it to sickly man. "Lord Cao Cao stated, "If he dallies, arrest him."

Zhongda's eyes widen as he held up the decree to his eyes. Sure enough, it read just as the messenger recited.

"Will you be coming then?" the gaunt envoi asked hesitantly.

Without much of a choice, the Sima nodded. "Yes. I shall accompany you back to the capital."


	3. Chapter 3

Liu Xing stared at the sneaky looking man from across the table. His eyes danced across the papers of the books, never once looking up to meet hers. Every once and a while, he would pick his pen up and write something down in his record book before putting the book aside and moving on. Growing self-conscious, the young girl swung her legs in her chair, waiting to be acknowledged by the tutor.

"Perhaps you could stop being an annoying gnat and make yourself disappear. I haven't got the time or the energy to deal with the likes of you right now," he voiced with the power of venom. When she did not cower away like he had expected, his eyes finally rose from the pages like a cat to a cornered mouse.

"Are you deaf or simply imprudent? I said-"

"I know what you said," Xing stopped him mid-sentence. The innocence quickly abandoned her eyes as she stood; looking down at the book he had before him. "What is that and who is it by?"

Sima Yi frowned, more annoyed. "I am not entertaining your shenanigans."

"Li Si? Really?" she ignored and lifted the pamphlet. "I'm surprised you're being allowed to touch this. I'm sure it'd be a shame if something were to happen to it." She hinted and held it above a candle. His eye immediately twitched as he tried to snatch it out of her hands.

"Hand it over. Now." He growled.

Xing lightly laughed, her tawny eyes dancing. "Don't cause a scene. It wouldn't be becoming of you." Her eyes narrowed at him. "It has been a month since you've arrived. So far, I've learned absolutely nothing from you."

"What benefit is there from tutoring you? You're a woman, which means all anyone expects you to do in your life is bear sons and look pretty. Intellect would be a waste on you," he spat.

"Fine," she retorted and threw the now warm booklet at him. "However, regardless of how much of a waste you think I am, Cao Cao still pays you to do so. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not, so get used to it."

Her words, rather than shock him, made him laugh. "Spare me your foolishness. Tell me, do you believe that you threatening to burn my documents is becoming?" He scoffs. "Master Xun Shao said that you were dense, but I didn't think it'd be this bad."

Xing quirked an eyebrow almost tentatively. "There were many things he failed to mention, I suppose."

Sighing, he stood and motioned for her to follow him down three shelves of books. His long pale finger removed one book after another, stacking them high in her arms. "I demand these all be read and fairly memorized by the end of the month. Failure to comply will result in my rejection of your patronage. Now get out of my library."

XXX

A light tap jarred him from his sleep. The Sima groggily opened his eyes as a ray of sunshine beamed at them through the window. The chatter of peasants and the hush of the nobility's kimonos and robes dragging along the stone floor filled the room. This had become the norm in the last three years; however, something was not right this time.

"Master Sima Yi," a smoky voice called from the other side of the door. No longer the timorous adolescent girl she had been upon arrival, Liu Xing had somehow transformed into a defiant, self-entitled, irresponsible – yet highly educated – teenager. Thanks to Xun Shao, she had also managed to master the art of swordplay and hone her craft with the flute.

The door opened and without a moment's hesitation she stormed into the room, not bothering to offer a greeting. Yi frowned, rolling his eyes before closing the door. "Must you abandon your training every time I see you?"

The juvenile whipped around with fire burning brightly in her amber eyes. Her pale cheeks held a pout as she placed her hands on her hips, glaring up at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What now?"

Swaggering over to the window, she threw open the curtains, revealing six foreign men entering the castle. "They are emissaries from Shu Han and Sun Wu. Apparently, peace talks will begin today," Xing explained as she looked down her nose at the men. Three of the six were clad in red and gold armor. The one leading had cool black hair and carried himself with an air of superiority. The leader of the men in green poised himself the same way as he looked around as if already scheming.

"The one from Wu is Zhu Ran and the one from Shu is Fa Zheng. Both are known for their intellect across the country," Sima Yi explained as he dressed in his purple robes. Undoubtedly a messenger would come soon to retrieve him and Master Xun Shao.

"Surely Lord Cao knows that such talks would never amount to anything more than border disputes. War cannot be absolved through mere talking."

"There is more to it than meets the eye, I'm sure."

Crossing her arms, she drew away from the window, her blue robe sliding across the floor as she took a seat in a chair and looked up at her mentor through her long lashes. "The new recruits come in today," she began. Yi shrugged, getting his papers in order as he headed to the door.

"Will you not stop me? Won't you say my actions aren't becoming of me?" She asked almost shaken. It bothered her that he was no longer so easily peaked into anger or exasperation with her. It was almost as if she had lost her touch.

"I haven't the time for you and your foolishness right now. Take it somewhere else," he dismissed and opened the door for her to leave. Begrudgingly she obeyed, sauntering down the hall back to her own room. She found her way to her balcony with her flute in hand, although she had little intention of playing it. Rather, her eyes scanned the yard full of trainees. Most were there simply to fulfill their two years of compulsory enlistment and had never used a sword in their lives. She almost found it humorous. Very few realized their slim chance of actually finishing two years without being slaughtered on the battlefield.

Throughout the entire day, only a select few had made any progress in their training. In a spar with the captain, one managed to pique her interest. The young man has long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Slender, yet muscled, he had clearly received prior training before enlisting. This gained him the slight appreciation of his superiors.

Xing stood and looked down stoically as they finished for the day. For a brief moment his eyes locked onto hers and he immediately looked away as if her gaze would turn him to stone. She felt her heart stop and begin to burn with the fire of a thousand suns.

She needed to know more about this man.


	4. Chapter 4

"What happened at your little meeting, my lord?"

His ebony eyes glaring at the girl, Xun Shao tucked away a scroll in his sleeve and entered his room. Though he appeared upset with her, he was glad to see his friend. They had much to discuss.

"You know, my lady, it is quite rude to enter someone's rooms without their permission. You shouldn't trespass."

"I need to know what happened," her eyes sparkled with interest. "Zhongda told me that officers from both Shu and Wu are here, but of course I'm only concerned with those from Shu. What is every here for? Was it seriously for peace talks? Surely Lord Cao-"

"Calm yourself," he orders coolly. "It wasn't my idea and wherefore it didn't have anything to do with our lord. He understands that war is inevitable. Neither the people nor the warlords will be satisfied with just their kingdoms. Liu Bei thinks that the Han can be restored if he has his paws on the emperor."

"If he doesn't get the emperor, he will take it upon himself," Xing mumbled. "Underneath all of his false munificence, there is undoubtedly only an ambitious old man scamming oblivious peasants to follow him into an abyss."

"I concur. Sun Wu is quite simply a band of pirates thrown overboard and trying to stay afloat. They're a joke and not even worth talking. These 'talks' will be over by tomorrow afternoon, if that."

"Will I be sent with them when they go?" Xing asked him hopefully. Laughing, Cao Cao's chief advisor shook his head. "Eager, aren't we?"

"Yi has been slamming me with studies for three years now! There's really nothing left for him to teach me-"

"There is always something to learn," he cuts in and pours himself a drink. "That alone lets me know you're not ready."

"But I-"

"Are you really that eager to leave? I must say, I thought you would show a bit more respect to those you owe your life to. But again, you are a Liu," he turned his back and smirked. Playing her was always too easy.

"And I thought that someone who supposedly harbored a similar hate for that swine would understand my bloodlust. I suppose I was wrong." She crosses her arms, playing along with his game. Her golden brown eyes scanned his back as tensed slight, not expecting her response.

"Well played, but still a no. Go away now. I'm sure they're waiting for you-"

There was an abrupt and awkward knock at the door that both beings snapped their heads at. "Urgent news from Jing Province, my lord!" The breathy voice of a messenger called from the other side. Frowning, Shao gestured to the door for Liu Xing to exit.

With a slight glare, the girl moved down the hall and stopped at the corner to listen in.

"Are you going to sit there and wheeze or will you do your damned job?" Shao urged too reserved. The messenger took in one breath and bowed, handing the official letter to his master.

"The residences of the Shen family are under siege. The order…the order was issued by Zhang Fei."

XXX

In less than three minutes, flames had engulfed the whole estate. Debris fell from the ceilings as the sounds of glass shattering on the stone floor echoes through the immersed halls.

Shen Yang, a young boy of a mere five springs coughed as he trudged through the smoke running as fast as he could in front of his father. The bodies of slaughtered and burning servants scattered the floor as their blood splashed with each step the family took.

Yang remembered his father's interaction with the Shu messenger. He had orders from one of the Shu leader's sword brothers.

 _"Please give this to our lord with my deepest apologies, but I cannot accept these orders. Perhaps a more…befitting-"_

 _"Bah!" The old emissary barked, shoving the papers back at Master Shen. "By decree of Master Zhang Fei, you will absolutely not defy. Result of your insubordination will result in harsh consequences. I'm sure our master will not be pleased."_

Grabbing his son's arm, the father quickly and quietly slipped into the stables. The footsteps of bloodthirsty soldiers passed the stables, grumbling incoherent words on the other side of the stalls. Two fingers to his lips, Master Shen silenced his horse Dìyù and quickly set his son atop the stallion. Without any sign of hesitation, he handed over his spear to his son.

"You are to go to Xuchang. Once there you will ask for Master Sima Yi," he instructed quietly. With great force, he shoved the stable door open but not without drawing the attention of the assassins. As if on cue, the steed galloped out of the stables at its top speed.

Looking back one last time, Yang could make out the shadows of the men surrounding his father before his existence disappeared into the night sky as ashes.

XXX

"I need to see Master Sima Yi," Yang requested as he approached the guards at the main gate. Though noting his intimidating spear that could be used to murder them, the guards did not take him too seriously. After having spent days traveling to the wonderful city, the boy looked worn and tired. He wouldn't be much of a threat to them.

The captain laughed a bit before approaching the child, kneeling to his size. "And what would a little boy like you need with such an important man? He hasn't time to deal with the likes of peasant children. Go run along now."

Shen Yang blinked, unfazed. "I was sent by Master Shen to-"

"Master Shen is a traitor to the state," he interrupted. "Take this kid down to the dungeons to see what Lord Cao Cao wants-"

"He can come with me," Liu Xing voice offered over the captain. Carrying Sima Yi's sleeping son in her arms, she smiled politely at the orphan. Frowning, the captain and his men parted to allow the boy to follow Lady Liu.

"Hello there," she smiled politely and inspected the boy's face. Having pity upon him, she vowed that regardless if Zhongda wanted to or not, she would persuade him to help the young boy.

"Hello," he spoke groggily and followed her without a word more to Sima Yi's chambers. Though absent from his quarters, Xing had servants prepare a bath for the young boy and lay out fresh clothing. Leaving Shi in his father's bed, she waited for her tutor to return.

With abnormal certainty, Liu Xing knew that she had well invested in the acceptance of the young boy. Now if only her master would see the potential she saw.


	5. Chapter 5

Sima Yi blinked twice. His narrow eyes panned from bed to student.

"Why is there a strange child in my chambers?"

Liu Xing bit her lip, a bit embarrassed by his blunt question. "Well, he said he needed to see you and that he's come from Jing Province. He looked traumatized so I had to take care of him."

"How'd you know he wasn't trying to kill someone?" Cao Pi's advisor asked with a hint of annoyance. With a bland expression, he pushed past his student and spread a map across a table. "We'll find out later. I want to go over this map with you for the time being."

Xing eyes scanned the map of Shu pedantically, looking over the surrounding cities and forests around Chengdu. It was imperative to find a route back to Cao territory that would be quick.

"The emissaries from Shu and Wu will be taking their leave in the morning. Wu does not concern you so I won't waste time explaining their route. I assume you have interest in learning the Shu envoy's though?"

"They would first have to travel through Tong pass to Chang'An, right? The roads there are better developed than any other way so travel would be easier. Not to mention more convenient."

"No. If they travel through Chang'An, they'd have to pass through either the Ziwi Valley or Ye Valley," he disagreed. "The mountainous terrain this time of year would be nearly a death trap. I'm thinking more along the lines of the southwest through Wancheng or Nanyang."

"Shao isn't letting me go anyway so I have a while before I'll go."

Murmuring his acknowledgment, Zhongda's eyes stayed on the diagram. He failed to notice his close proximity to Lady Liu. Growing uncomfortable, Xing drew away, clearing her throat. Her tutor's head snapped up and he immediately stepped back, a tinge of pink coloring his face.

"In regards to the boy…?" she began.

"Yes of course…wake him up. He's rested long enough."

Feeling guilty, she frowned at her master. "He happened to doze off maybe an hour ago, Zhongda. Don't be so cruel." Before she could even touch him, Shen Yang woke up with a start. His eyes roamed the unfamiliar surroundings of the palace before they fell upon Xing.

"Is he here?" He asked innocently. The young boy sounded more like a child than a weary beggar now.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Yi asked and stepped into the room with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Xing glared back in his direction before smiling sadly at Yang.

"Master Sima Yi is a callous old man. Don't mind him."

"Insolent rube!" Yi gasped. "Stop your foolish babbling!"

The boy smiled at their exchange, trying to suppress a giggle. Liu Xing smiled fondly at him, stroking his smooth black hair. Yi composed himself and turned his attention back to the boy. His smile turned back into a frown.

"I'm the son of Master Shen Xiu. Lord Zhang Fei had my father executed, but I don't really remember why."

The wolf's face turned from one of annoyance to shock. He didn't care that the child father was murdered. In fact, he could care less. He was much more concerned with what he was going to do with the boy.

"You'll have to give me time to find a way to accommodate you. In the meantime, I know that Lady Liu has room in her chambers for you to reside in," he spoke with a vindictive smirk and glanced at his student. The girl looked at him dumbfounded, raising an eyebrow.

"As much as I would love to have a guest, it is – how would you say, _indecent_ – for me to house a male in my chambers. I'm sure you understand, Master Sima," she feigned innocence and quickly exited. Escaping down the hall, Liu Bei's daughter snuck past the guard's guarding the back gardens and sat on a white stone bench. Placing her ivory flute to her lips, she began to play a slow, sad song. As if able to feel the melancholy, the trees swayed in the wind as the rush of cool fountain water hushed in the background.

At times like these when she was alone, Xing thought about her life before coming to Wei. She thought about the good times – or rather, great times – she had with Bao Ming. She thought about the villagers in Xiapi who were slaughtered because of her father. She also thought of Shu and the idea of finally being where she belonged, but only to get information and disappear.

"That was a beautiful song, my lady," a soft, yet deep, voice spoke through the quietness. Xing turned her head to see the trainee from the courtyard standing before her. He had let his long brown hair out of the ponytail and stood awkwardly, as if he was uncomfortable being in her presence.

Xing blushes and looked down at her flute. "It needs work, my lord, but I thank you for your praise."

Laughing uncomfortably, he bowed to her. "I am but a lowly recruit, my lady. Of course though, you already knew that."

Xing stood with poise. "Surely you do know then that there is a curfew for all recruits. You happen to be breaking it. However," she looked past him towards the exit, "I won't tell if you won't."

He smiled at her thankfully, inching closer to her casually. With confidence, Xing places her hands on her hips and looked up at him through long lashes. "I have watched you train before. I must admit, your skill is…somewhat impressive. Though you do have a ways to go before you'll be able to match any of our officers."

Chuckling, he looked up at the night sky. "Perhaps one day, when I develop such skill, I can help bring an end to the chaos."

"Perhaps," she agreed, cringing at the fact that she sounded like Zhongda. "Forgive my ignorance, but what is your name?"

"I am Jiang Wei, son of Jiang Jiong," he answered with much pride. Xing prevented herself from rolling her eyes. She didn't know nor did she care about who his father was.

"Well, Master Jiang, I've enjoyed your company, but I'm afraid it's time I retired to my chambers. I'd be happy if you'd walk me back though."

Without waiting for his response, Xing sauntered back to her rooms. Naughty thoughts that she could not shake tainted her mind as they approached the door. She thought back to when she had watched him train. Images of his nicely built body and raw strength played in her mind.

No. She couldn't just let him walk away.

"Stay," she turned on her heel and ordered once the door was open. Wei gave her a puzzled expression, unsure whether or not to believe what he had heard.

"No one has to know but you and I," she promised and dragged him into the room. He wanted to protest and stop her as her hands slid across his clothing but as if he had lost all control of his body, he could not.

Deep down, he didn't want to stop.


	6. Chapter 6

Liu Xing groggily opened her eyes to Jiang Wei's shuffling. With a sigh, she rolled over to watch him dress.

The past month had passed in the same routine: train with Xun Shao in the morning, debate with Sima Yi in the afternoons, and sleep with Wei at night. He always stayed the night and left right before dawn to be in the courtyard.

"You could stand to be a little less noisy," she mumbled through the silk bed sheets. The cool winter air blew through the window, sending a chill down her spine. Wei did not flinch as he rushed to dress. He had woken up late and would be punished if not to training in time.

"I didn't mean to wake you, my lady. Please forgive me," he apologized meekly. Despite their relationship, he knew that Xing could be an emotionless woman. She would not think twice about castigating him.

"Today is an important day for you, is it not? If I remember correctly, you are to finally receive a promotion. Your friends can stop lying to your captain about your presence in the barracks."

"I think he was simply too lazy to look on his own," the man spoke and pressed his lips onto his lover's. She kissed back, not wanting him to leave her.

"I'll stop and visit later," he promised and walked towards the door. Before she could respond, he had gone, leaving an empty silence hanging in her bedroom.

XXX

"I must admit, I am impressed by your will. However, you should know by now that it's going to take more than that to beat me. You're going to actually have to try," Shao admonished and fell back into stance. This was the fifth time he had knocked his pupil off of her feet in the last hour. Already the sun was high in the sky and she had barely gotten any hits in. Never had she performed so inadequately.

Sighing, she regained her balance and tried to study his posture. She searched for any opening in his stance. Growing frustrated, she lunged at the man with her sword. Shao easily stepped to the left, hitting her to the ground as she passed.

"Try again."

Standing once more, she squeezed her eyes shut to stop the world from spinning. This time he charged first, aimed for her legs. Much to both of their surprise, she managed to move out of the way just in time. Shao, with the reflexes of a snow leopard, turned. His arm was little more than a blur to her as he waved it around, slicing the air and at her. Raising her weapon, she blocked his blow with all of the strength she had. The combined weight of Shao and his blade made her arms hurt.

She shoved him back, trying to force herself to stop seeing him in doubles. She watched as his mouths moved and he lunged at her again. Before he reached her, however, she had fallen into the grass and the world around her blackened.

XXX

"I think it best…on the matter, my lord."

"Lady Liu…she isn't…you'll have wasted time."

Xing tried to listen to the conversation, but couldn't make herself focus enough. Shao continued arguing with the other man until one rushed out of the room. With a heavy sigh, the floorboards creaked as Xun Shao sat down next to her. She could feel his lightly, almost nonexistent breathing on her neck as he moved her hair off of her face.

"Wake up," he demanded. As if spellbound, she opened her eyes to his.

"Shao-"

"What have you done?" he asks accusingly.

She tried to sit up but he pushed her back down, his glare menacing. "The doctor believes that you're with child. You've got one opportunity to tell me the truth. Trust that you'd rather me find out and handle it than for word to reach Lord Cao Cao."

Xing looked into his eye horrified. It wasn't that she was unafraid of his threats, but it was that she wasn't sure if she was pregnant or not. She hadn't felt sick before so why would it happen all at once?

She slowly began to shake her head. "N-no! Of course not!"

The strategist frowned, not believing her, yet badly wanting to. "Pray that you're right." With that, he slammed the door behind him. Despite feeling frail, the young girl jumped up and began packing. It would be too dangerous to stay if Lord Cao Cao discovered she had whored herself to a lowly recruit. No, she needed to flee. She doubted that Shao or Yi would be able to save her from his wrath.

Liu Xing walked briskly down the hall. She passed Sima Shi and Shen Yang playing with Sima Yi's map figures. When the little Sima noticed her, he waved happily. She smiled and knelt down, kissing his head before doing the same to Yang.

"Where are you going?" the eldest boy asked with curious eyes. Xing stroked his dark hair. "I'm going away for a while. When I come back though, I promise to bring you both presents back, okay? In order for me to do that though, you can't tell Sima Yi, alright?"

Both boys nodding their understanding and went back to playing, probably forgetting about everything she said.

For weeks, Xing rode her horse down the trail that Zhongda has encouraged her to take when going to Shu. So far, she had killed thirteen bandits and nearly died seventeen times. As her master had predicted, travel through Nanyang was the most ideal. There wasn't any mud to worry about and very little ice.

Finally, she approached a lively town filled with peasants who looked to be in good spirits. She stopped there and went to a small inn.

"Do you have room for one more?" she asked calmly, trying not to seem too uptight. She slid some coins the man's way and he quickly snatched them up as if he had never seen that much money before. The innkeeper smiled at the woman, his fat face now warm. "I always have room for people who pay well. And you're in luck too! Lord Liu Bei is supposed to be stopping by for the night before he gets to Chengdu. Perhaps you'll catch a glance of him?"

Xing smiled at the perfect opportunity. "Perhaps I will. Thank you."

XXX

Liu Xing sat in the room waiting. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she heard the sound of footsteps. Of course, it could always be just another wandering man about to take what he paid for or it could also be him. There was a chance that the madam would honor her promise and send her lord into the room with her "best girl".

Her heart stopped as the knob turned. She took a deep breath and sat revealingly on the bed. In walked a middle aged man sporting a top knot with long locks on each side of his face. From his clear expression, he was not at all intoxicated.

Xing smiled as he closed the door. His eyes roamed her body before finally going to her face and awkwardly smiled back. It had been a long time since he'd visited a brothel for sex.

"Hello."

"Hello father."


	7. Chapter 7

"Would you like a drink? Perhaps it will calm you-"

"No," he nearly barked, eyes still wide and glued to the young person before him. Liu Xing shrugged, sipping her wine slowly, calculating his thoughts through his expression.

"Forgive me. It's just that I'd rather not be inebriated during this conversation. So, can you, um, explain again?"

She inwardly cringed at the thought of having to repeat herself once again. "Lady Gan had me in Xiapi right after Lu Bu had usurped it from you. The first chance that you two had to flee, you did so; however, you left me there with only an old nurse to look after me," she repeats. His warm eyes lock on hers with a strong fervor. She frowns as if feeling the pain of her abandonment again.

"A couple of years ago, Cao Cao had the city searched. I was found there and he took me in."

Liu Bei frowned for a while longer, eyeing the woman who was claiming to be his child. Despite her story adding up, he couldn't understand as to why she had been seeking him out.

"You don't appear to be harmed. Rather, it looks like you've been well taken care of," he spoke, choosing the wording very carefully as he poured his own drink. "Why have you come to me?"

"Would you rather me have not?" She asked feigning hurt in her voice. "Would you have rather me stay in Wei?"

"N-No! That's not what I mean at all," he stammered, subconsciously taking her hand in his. With the warmth of his hand on hers of ice, Xing gasped, heat rushing up to her cheeks as she looked down at her soiled hand.

"…What I meant was that I don't think it wise for you to come at this particular moment. I feel you should have waited for me to have more stability before you came."

"I hadn't a choice!" She exclaimed apologetically. It came to the point that I feared for my life. So I had to leave," she said softly. "You have to understand that."

He remained silent for a long time after she said that, deliberating her words. Now it was her turn to fidget nervously about in her seat, twirling a lock of soft ebony hair with her index finger as she watched him furl his eyebrows while he thought. Out of habit, they both did that.

"Have you any talents that can be proved useful?" He asked hopefully, grasping for any reason to permit her travel with he and his brothers. The man found her strangely intriguing, the way he had his wife when they met. It didn't help that the girl also looked like her.

"I was under the tutelage of Sima Fang's son, Master Sima Yi," she fakes her enthusiasm, cringing inwardly at the thought of the contemptible serpent. "The ladies of the court taught me how to be a proper noblewoman - calm and obedient."

The man nodded and relaxed his tense shoulders as he sat back in his chair. "Yes. You will fit quite nicely there." Looking up at his daughter, Liu Bei offered a stiff smile. "I'm sure your mother will be thrilled that you've come home."

* * *

In contrast to the illustriousness of Cao Wei, Shu Han was a much more humble place. It reminded Xing of her home in Xiapi, where the people loved one another and relied on each other to help make ends meet. Oh, how she longed for the simpler days of her past. Days filled with merriment with none to beguile.

Though Liu Xing had grown accustom to the masses gathering in the streets to greet their lords, never had she seen a group so dedicated and loving. Many threw flowers and such at him, almost completely ignoring her being riding in the saddle behind him. It was as if he'd been released from exile or he had freed them all of any trials and tribulations they faced. To these poor, pitiful fools, he was a god.

"How long had you been gone, my lord?" She asks curiously. He stops to accept a gift of a freshly picked flower, that will wither and die soon, from a small girl whose eyes remain on the lord's daughter.

"Perhaps a few months," he smiles genuinely and continues on. As they move further and further into the city, a small castle sits in the middle. On the steps, much how Lord Cao Cao had done when she first arrived in Xuchang, stood two men. One wore a white robe with green accent and bore a large feathered fan that he lightly fanned himself with. The other was clad in armor, as if about to march onto the battlefield at any moment. The cool wind blew threw his hair as he beamed fondly at his approaching lord.

Awkwardly, her father helped her off of the horse and the two ascended up the stairs, followed by Zhang Fei and a suspicious Guan Yu.

"My lord," both of the bow. Behind them, a woman no longer in her prime, and yet still strikingly beautiful, peered from the door behind the famed strategist and warrior. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she walked to the young woman who accompanied her husband back to southern Jing. Without word or warning, Liu Bei's wife reached out and cupped Xing's hand in her cheek, eyes wide as if in shock. A broad smile broke out onto the woman's face as she yanked the young girl into a strong hug, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

"My child," her voice quivered. "You've found your way home to me."


	8. Chapter 8

Steamed meats and vegetables filled the tables as drops of wine spilled from the cups of drunk men. Uproarious laughter engulfed nearly the entire castle. For once, it seemed that no one was concerned with what was going on in the world. For tonight, no one concerned themselves with the chaos. Everything was about fun.

And this highly annoyed Xing as she sat with her mother in Liu Bei's harem. The other women had already gone to enjoy the feast.

The relaxing scent of jasmine enveloped the bedchamber. It was a smell that was foreign yet so familiar to her. The tune Lady Gan hummed while she combed her daughter's locks added to the distant memory. She had heard it somewhere before at some point in time. Not from the late Lady Bao, but from somewhere - or someone - else.

"Thirteen years and one hundred eighty-nine days," the older woman began. "I had kept count, you know?"

"How did you know that I was alive?" She asked almost distantly, not yet comfortable near her mother.

Lady Gan laughed, a small smile gracing her lips. With her nimble, delicate fingers, she placed a hair ornament into the girl's hair. Gleaming at her eldest child with great pride, she clasped her hands together. "Oh how lovely you are. I thank the heavens for bringing you back home. However, curious it is killing me so I must ask you: how did Lord Liu Bei find you?"

"Contrary to popular belief, it was I who found him."

"Really? Tell me the tale, please."

Xing hid her face behind a decorative fan, casting her eyes down. "It is a tale you must ask him, for it is his to share."

"Forgive me for intruding then," said the mother. Despite having known her for only a few days, Ganshi was disappointed that her child didn't trust her enough to share her secret. Frowning, she watched her daughter through the mirror as servant styled her own hair. Nonchalantly, the girl slid the rings of emei daggers onto her fingers and concealed her a hands in her sleeves.

"Why do you keep those on your being, my child? Is it not dangerous?"

Xing shook her head, looking back at her mother with pity. Such a shame that she allowed herself to be subjected to the standards placed on them by men. "No, they are quite safe actually. I mastered their art long ago."

"What is the why?"

"I do not believe in placing my life entirely into the hands of men. Your safety can never be completely guaranteed."

Lady Gan stood, looking as majestic as ever in her rich colored hanfu. With a nod, the woman ushered her daughter to the feast. Within a minute of their arrival, swarms of nobles gathered around her like a spectacle at show during a festival in town.

"Xing, this is Lady Yueying. She is Lord Zhuge Liang's wife," Ganshi beamed. Systematically, Liu Xing bowed again. "It is quite the honor, my lady. Since my arrival, I've been told wondrous tales of your incredible creations. You must show me one day."

"Yes, of course. That would be a great privilege," the woman faked. "Do tell me though, how was it that our lord happened upon you? I fear majority of us have yet to hear this story."

She smiled regretfully, reading through the woman's false pretense. No one believed the story they'd been fed and she was well aware of that. She knew that they wouldn't from the beginning and was well prepped for that outcome. "I must regrettably tell you as I did my mother, it is not my story to tell. I'm sure in due time, our lord will share."

"I'm sure he will," the woman retorted almost rudely before bidding them a farewell.

"You must pardon them. They've grown attached and overprotective of him," Ganshi reasoned. "You must understand."

"Of course," Xing replied distantly, staring at a small figure in a corner staring directly at her. Rather than sitting and playing with the other children, he was alone - an outcast. When he realized he'd been caught staring, he coward back a little, showing only his sad, drooped eyes. "Who might that child be?"

Lady Gan followed Xing's gaze and finally noticed the meek child. Her gaze immediately softens. "That is one of your brothers, Liu Shan. Yourself and he are my only children."

"Why does he isolate himself? Is it that he is afraid? Or is it more so that the other children do not allow him to play with them? They're hostile towards him." She asks and slowly walks to the boy. Surprised by the attention, he does not back away but peers up at her with a dubious expression. Sitting on the wooden step next to him, she smiled.

"Hello. Who might you be?"

His eyes briefly looked into her own before he cast his face back down. "Shan," he spoke, speech barely audible.

Xing frowned, toying with her weapon in her sleeves. General Zhao Yun had risked his life rescuing the boy in Changban. Though it had happened well before she was brought to Xuchang, she recalled Master Xun Shao speaking of the battle with a grim expression. Since she had arrived here, she noticed how close Zhao Yun was to Liu Bei. He was to him as Xun Shao had been to Cao Cao.

"Why aren't you running rampant outside with the others your age? This banquet is for the adults, not the children."

"They won't have me," he whined with a sad pout. His eyes looked out from the exit at the other children laughing and playing outside without a concern in the world. He was envious of them and their adventurous spirits. When the others were bold, he was meek. When they were strong, he was weak.

"When I was a young girl, I happened to be very quite, much like you. I remember that the other children in my town rejected me as well. I was different, like you. However, rather than letting myself do as you are now, I invested my time in my studies."

"I don't understand many things…"

The teen laughed at him, her smile genuine. "Of course, you're only four! You aren't supposed too…" he voice trailed off. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man dressed in black and gold robes staring at her. From the scars on his face, she immediately recognized him to be one of Shao's lackeys.

"I must bid you a farewell for tonight. It was nice to finally meet you," she quickly addressed and hurried off outside.

The cool wind blew through her hair as the sun drowned into the horizon. The heavens boasted mystical colors through the clouds. Her breath hitched as she felt his grey eyes on her once again. Lei Fong was known throughout Cao Cao's kingdom. Originally a butcher from Changsha, he had murdered a man for making a sexual gesture towards his sister. Not fearing death, he impressed Xun Shao, who spared him and took him under his wing. For years, he was the face thousands imagined when they thought of the word executioner.

"I will not die without a fight, you know," she spoke calmly.

A low chuckle came from the man's throat as he approached her side. "I'm only a messenger tonight."

"You always send messages."

"Lord Xun Shao sends his wishes to remind you of your duty-"

"Be gone. I needn't a reminder."

"As you wish," the man bowed and disappeared back into the throng of people.


	9. Chapter 9

Her eyes scanned the courtyard meticulously, watching Generals Ma Chao and Zhao Yun spar with one another. She searched for an opening that either man gave, though had found not one in over twenty minutes. While they were indeed friends, they fought like longtime rivals, eager to outdo the other.

Behind her, the younger children ran around rampantly. Their screams and laughter filled Xing's ears, making her cringe. At nearly three months pregnant, she was always tired no matter how long she slept. The noise that her siblings and cousins made only added to her irritability. Not only that, but she always felt sick - nauseated and in pain. She cursed herself for the thousandth time, angered by her poor decision-making skills.

Tearing her eyes away from the window, she stood up from her bed. The room spun wildly and she quickly grasped the bedpost before she fell over. Sighing heavily, the teenager slowly trudged through the room and began to dress. She stopped for a moment to stare at her swelling belly. Though it was still manageable to hide, she knew it wouldn't be long before her ladies-in-waiting would notice and alert Lady Gan, who she knew would tell Liu Bei.

Running her hand over the tiny bump, she glared at it through the mirror.

Damn that child! Would it not be easier to get rid of it?

The hiss of curtains caught her attention and she immediately snapped her head in that direction. Guan Xing, Guan Suo, Zhang Bao, Xing Cai, and Liu Shan all trampled into the room over one another. With the raising of her eyebrow, they stopped in their tracks mere inches from their elder. Looking up at he doorway, she saw Guan Ping standing there with an embarrassed look on his face. Meeting her questioning gaze, he sheepishly smiled apologetically.

"If I was feeling well today, I'd find this humorous. But I'm not," Xing frowned at the children. Liu Shan stared bashfully at his feet. The others looked at her expectantly, nearly bouncing off of the walls.

"What is this?" She asked Ping with a curious smile. Nervously scratching his head, he came up with an indirect way to ask Xing to accompany him.

"They wish to go to the town-"

"So they may. How does this involve me?" She interrupted rudely.

"Would it not have been rude of me to not ask if you wished to join?" He asked with a flabbergasted tone. With her having been there for nearly two months, by now everyone was used to her cold and dismissive mannerisms. Especially with her being a woman, she was viewed in a complete opposite way of her mother and father.

Nodding, she toyed with her hair in her nimble fingers. "Have they money?"

"An amount sufficient enough for children, yes."

Pressing her lips together, Liu Xing turned her back to them. "Very well. If only to see the town." Tying a coin purse to her hip, she readjusted her hanfu so that the tiny bump in her stomach didn't show. Leaving one of her twin blades beneath her mat, she followed her cousins into the streets of Jingzhou. Dirt and dust flew up from the wheels of the peasants carts and the hooves of the oxen pulling them. Guan Ping or nor his brothers seemed bothered by the nuisance -or even Zhang Bao for that matter - and were fine walking while Shan and Cai had to be carried.

As they reached the marketplace, fumes from boiling kettles filled with soups and noodles filled the air as well as barbecued pork and fresh yeast, making all seven of their mouths water.

Those not cooking were merchants who'd just returned from travels abroad and had brought back with them the treasures and luxuries of Wei, Wu and the lands to the south. Fine silks and embroidered fabrics lined sturdy wooden tables. Poor old women selling jewels of their youths and fresh produce rested on the outskirts by trees. They sold what little they had as their grandchildren clung to them with swollen bellies and hungry eyes, awaiting a customer to offer a _wuzhu_ for one of their belongings in hopes of having something to eat that night.

Taking pity, Guan Ping walked over and bought two _wuzhus_ worth of fruit. Offering the sweet fruit to the children, they ate as if they'd never eaten before.

Xing frowned, appalled by their behavior.

"You're in public. Act like you've been out before," she chided Shan. He only nodded to acknowledge her.

"How much were each of you given?" She asked as they licked their sticky fingers.

"Bao and Xing have four _wuzhu_ while Shan, Suo and Cai each have two," Guan Ping answered for them.

Liu Xing nearly laughed at their meager amounts of change. What possibly could they buy with such mediocre amounts? But of course, they were in Southern Jing. Here, more people were poor tenant farmers who were happy living hard lives of poverty, scraping the pit of the barrel.

Their acceptance of this angered her. Why did they not demand help? Why did they allow themselves to live in such shameful and humiliating conditions?

"You are to stay together at all times," she dictated. "Bao is in charge and if any of you go missing I shall whip you all. Am I understood?"

Each child nodded and ran off to go spend their money on sweets and toys. For the first time since her arrival, she found herself somewhat proud of her younger brother. Rather than staying by himself or being glued to her side, he was out having fun with the other children his age. It made her quite happy to see that for once, he was being treated as a degenerate - he wasn't being alienated.

"How are you enjoying the south so far?" Guan Ping asked as he followed her from shop to shop. Xing hid a glare as his shadowing her was quickly growing irritating.

"Well enough, I suppose," she quickly answered. Finding herself more attracted to a stable farther down, she forced herself to continue moving. She ignored the inquisitive looks the people gave her as they compared her to Liu Bei. Finding a rich mahogany coated colt, she began to inspect it while Ping wandered off to an blacksmith.

"She just gave birth to him not three days ago!" A young stablehand beamed proudly. Xing only nodded, somewhat disinterested. Rightfully assuming there was a customer, the stable owner strode out with a large smile on his face.

"Indeed she did," he affirmed the child's statement. "A fine stallion he will make one day."

"If I may ask, what part of China was the mother born?" She asks, checking the horse for any injuries. There is a small raw spot on his hide, likely from some type of rough handling.

"Up north in Xiliang," he answered. "That is where all of my fine horse come from."

"May I see his mother?" She asked, skeptical of the origin. The merchant frowned, wiping his already clean hand on his towel once more.

"I'm afraid I sold her. Earlier today actually," he lied.

Raising a delicate brow, she pursed her lips together. "The animal is injured. He's a raw patch from injury on his backside. Did you think I would not notice?"

"No, of course it was to be noticed. Which is why he is at such a fine price-"

"I shall take you at your word. How much are you seeking for him?" She asks, eyes narrowing at the plump middle aged man. His soft eyes scanned over the horse and back to Xing. A small smile graced his lips, making her grow wary of him.

"One hundred fifty _wuzhus_ ," he proclaimed carefully. Liu Xing frowned, once more looking at the animal's injury. Of course, she had more than enough for the colt, however her money would have gone to complete waste of the spot became infected and the horse died.

"I will pay no more than one hundred ten," she bargained. The stableman smiled and shook his head.

"I can't do that, but because you are our lord's spawn, I can sell the colt for one hundred thirty. That's as low as I can go."

"You people are poor and desperate," she looked down her nose at him. "That is the only reason why I'm paying your price." Taking the purse from her waist, she dropped the bag into his hands. The man's eyes widened at the weight of the bag, knowing it was well over the amount he had originally asked for. Briefly steeping out of the stables, he returned with a black leather saddle.

"For your generosity," he offered. Xing reluctantly accepted and took the reins of the steed into her hands before walking out of the stables with her new horse. Only until now had she realized how much times she'd spent in there. Storm clouds brewed in the skies above. The remaining sellers were quickly packing up their things and hurrying down the roads to their homes. The homeless sought shelter in taverns or under structures that would shield them from the rain.

Nowhere were her cousins or sibling to be found.

Walking back to the other side of the town square where they had began, she asked the old woman by the trees if she had seen them again.

"There's too many!" She complained quite loud. "Too many people to keep up with wandering children."

The boy who had clung to her side nodded at Xing. "They went back not too long ago. I believe they were in search of you."

Now regretting giving the man at the stables all of her money, she pulled the silver pins holding her hair up out and handed them to the malnourished child. He could easily barter them for nearly a month's worth of food.

Moving as quickly as she could through the drizzling rain on swollen feet, she pulled the stubborn horse along. To numb her pain, she allowed her mind to wander to Master Xun Shao's warning. She remembered fear she felt upon seeing Lei Fong at the banquet. Just the thought of what all he could do to a person with his butcher knife made her skin crawl.

Suddenly stopping, Xing slowed her breath. Closing her eyes, she listened to thunder roll as rain pelted the dirt road, quickly turning it into mud.

Something was not right.

Dropping her blade into her hand, she turned on her heel, slicing the sharp weapon through the air. Only an arms' length away from her had been a black arrow headed straight for her.

Through her lashes, she saw a masculine figure though the mist of the rain. Noticing how close he was to her, she realized that she'd no time to prepare a surprise attack on him. She'd have to face him with no tricks. They're would be no advantage.

Falling into her defensive stance, she stood waiting and listening. The hair on the back of her neck stood, yet she allowed no fear to be shown.

The figure split up into five different ones, all revealing themselves to be untrained bandits. While most of them were equipped with dull swords or knives, one stood with a spear in hand and a bow strapped to his back. Analyzing the situation, she judged it best to deal with the spearman first.

"Hand over the horse," the leader demanded, stepping forward. Noticing that she was armed, he kept his weapon pointed at her. Raising an eyebrow, she lifted her arm back, the colt moving behind her.

"You'll have to try a bit harder than that," she rolled her eyes and smirked. Without hesitation, the man lunged at her.

Xing jumped back and slowly continued her retreat back. The torrent from the clouds only fell harder. Their blades clashed together in various places, never once making contact with anything other than another blade. The four others began an attempt to surround her, hoping to separate the owner from her horse.

Taking another step back, her foot slid and became mired in the mud. Not skipping a beat, the bandit immediately took advantage of his opening and swung his blade at her neck. Barely blocking him, Liu Xing's sword flew from her hands and was lodged into a Katsura tree just as she freed her food.

As he took another lunge at her and she backflipped to put more space between them. Opening her palms, she spun the her piercers in her hands while watching the other men close in on her horse.

He charged at her one last time. Welcoming this closing of space, Xing abruptly rushed at him. Before he had time to deal a final blow to the girl, she stabbed him with one of the emei piercers. Lifting the other, she smiled and eased the sharp point across the man's throat. A red, almost black blood quickly oozed out of his neck, creating a pond of red as the water and blood mixed as it pooled in the spot.

Pivoting on her left leg, the threw the piercer from her right hand the bandit with the spear. As if on cue, her horse began to gallop away from the distracted thieves which bought her time to retrieve her sword.

"Huh…we'll settle this later. Let's get out of here," the youngest said as he and another helped their injured ally. Backing away with swords still aimed at her, the men withdrew into the wooded area surrounding the path.

* * *

"Where have you been? I was worried sick!" Lady Gan exclaimed as she pulled her child into a strong embrace. Snarling, Xing pulled herself away.

"Guan Ping abandoned me in the town and some robbers tried to kill me and steal my new colt." She explained. Looking at herself in a mirror, her rich hanfu was stained with blood and dirt - completely ruined. Her ebony locks clung to her face from both the rain and her sweat. She frowned more at the realization of her missing piercer.

"Are you okay, dear? Please sit. You're shaking," her mother coaxed and began trying to help her child out of her soaked silk.

"No. Stop," she whined and tried to move away.

"Xing please. You're being difficult. Just let me-"

"Do not touch me!" She bellowed. Tears began to form in her eyes and her hands shook more rapidly. Her mother jumped back, her brows knitting. Worry and concern engulfed her. For a month now she noticed that something was off with her daughter. Now her suspicions were confirmed.

"Xing…tell me what's wrong. I know we aren't that close and you're skeptical of me, but you can tell me anything.…"

Wiping her eyes, she looked up at the woman. Though she was practically a stranger, she was the only person there who could possibly help her. Who, perhaps, meant her well.

"…I'm with child…" her voice quivered.


	10. Chapter 10

Her steel eyes scanned the gray stones of Baidi City. The intimidating dragons above them glared down at her, as if about to end her life with fire at that moment.

Her heart raced with fear and uncertainty. She had dishonored her family name and as a consequence, Lord Liu Bei demanded her exile. Lady Gan did nothing to save her daughter. She uttered not a word on her behalf.

"Lady Liu…" Zhao Yun's voice broke the silence as their procession had halted far too long. Snapping her head back down to look over at him, she glared at the general with the intensity of one thousand suns. His expression faltered into one of grim concern.

"Don't look at me like that," she tried to smile. In the little time that she'd spent in Shu Han, he had been one of the few people to truly welcome her presence. Xing appreciated his compassionate personality. Often she would compare him to the nonexistent her that could have been had she not been corrupted by the chaos and Wei.

"Let's go," she spoke lowly and continued their procession into the gloomy fortress. Behind the two, servants and the soldiers looked about in awe. Most had never seen such impressive architecture before.

As they approached the center, the two guards assigned to the east entrance standing at attention at the sight of the small party. A small figure stepped out from a door. He stood with his hands behind his back professionally. The small flames of the lamps showed him to be a middle aged with a large scar running from his temple to below his eye. His face showed no expression as they stopped in front of him.

Not waiting for Yun to dismount, the man walked over the Xing and offered his hand to help her off of her steed. Stubbornly, her refused and nearly fell off of the animal. As the man ushered her into the building, she tried to look back at General Zhao Yun. She opened her mouth to call him, but no sound came out and he soon became a mere silhouette.

The stout man led Xing down a never ending spiral staircase. She held her breath as the stench of body odor hung in the air. Though there was no wind blowing in the lower level the two were walking on, with each step it grew drastically cooler; goosebumps forming on her arms as they reached the last step down. Turning yet another corner, they were face with another flight of steps. However, this one was straight down and they'd now be climbing up.

"Yet another?" She huffed. The entire way down she had been trying to keep her breathing slow so that he wouldn't think she was tired.

"Would you have me carry you?" He asked calmly. To her annoyance, the man was not breathing hard nor was there sweat trickling down his brow. It was very clear that he was accustomed to taking this route.

"I can do it myself," she grumbled and started up the stairs. Not wanting him to see her struggle, she forced herself to keep moving until she reached the top. Moving past her, the scarred man shuffled through his keys. After an eternity, he unlocked the door and beckoned her to follow him in.

A large wooden table stood in the middle of the room. A small desk sat diagonally from it while a bed lay beside the large screened window. Transparent silk curtains enclosed the bed and the window was well covered to prevent her from being seen.

"This is my punishment?" She asks rhetorically, trailing her finger across the dusty table. "Am I not allowed to look outside if I desire?"

"Lord Liu Bei doesn't want anyone to know that you're here. It's why Master Zhao Yun brought you here at such an early hour," he explained in a husky voice. Frowning, she step further into the room. Eventually her eyes landed on him with a scowl.

"Who are you and what are you acting as?"

A small smile graced the older man's lips. Though a very conservative and old fashioned person, he found her brazen quite humorous. Never had a woman - let alone a child - spoken to him in such a manner. It was highly disrespectful to speak to one's elders in such a way.

"I am acting as constable here-"

"Your name…?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. It didn't intimidate the man in the slightest.

"That is information you may or may not ever know. For now, you will refer to me as The Constable," he paused, half expecting her to interrupt his speech. "Six ladies have been assigned to attend to your needs that are within reason. Furthermore, you are restricted from leaving this room. The curtains are forbidden to be moved. The peasants down below shall live their lives without knowing of your presence. Is that clear?"

She stayed silent for a moment, her eyes cast down at her hands. "What about after the birth?"

"That is up to our lord."

"Very well," she agreed, masking her disappointment. "If that is all, I ask that you leave me with my thoughts."

"Of course, my lady," he bowed and returned to the door. A small, seemingly reassuring smile lit his face.

"Lord Liu Bei is a very gracious man. Your stay here will be quite short after the birth of your child, I am sure."

"Perhaps," she stated absentmindedly, already thinking of a way to get the drapes down.

Without another word, the Constable disappeared behind the door, locking her in.

* * *

Jiang Hui was born well into the Spring of 210 AD. Regardless of her sex, Liu Xing regarded the newborn as her greatest regret. As the months had slowly and dreadfully passed she thought only of her beloved Jiang Wei. The memories of their warm nights together helped block the cool grasp of loneliness she felt. The more she thought about it, however, she grew angry with him.

Why hadn't he come to see her? Had he stopped loving her? Were the feelings never mutual in the first place?

When she heard the door open, Xing did not look up to see who it was. The ladies assigned to her came and went with indifference, as if taking care of young girls who shamed themselves and their families was custom. She simply assumed that they were bringing Hui back from her feeding.

"What a shame," a masculine voice broke out. "It looks nothing like you."

Fear engulfed the mother to the point of her being too afraid to look back. Rather than Xun Shao sending Lei Fong to do his bidding with her, he had decided it was a personal matter and would be handled accordingly.

"Are you not at all concerned by the fact that the life of your daughter is in my hands? It would be so easy to end-"

"I don't care enough to be concerned," she cut him off, looking at him with empty orbs. Though she didn't particularly want him to kill her baby, it wouldn't hurt her if he did. She would not feel anything.

With a frown, he handed the child over to its mother. I was curious as to why I hadn't heard from my student. I was beginning to think that you had a death wish."

"You must keep your voice down," she looked at the door. "The Constable and the women here are fiercely loyal to my father."

"It's quite good that you believe that. I suppose they can keep their lives then," he mused aloud. Glancing at the child, he regained his focus. "What do you have for me?"

Xing sighed. Though she'd been confined to Baidi Castle, it was still easy for her to get information from the informants stationed around Liu Bei.

"For now, Zhuge Liang is still trying to talk father into taking Yi from Liu Zhang. I've no doubts that he will do so in the near future. For now, the focus is not on Wei."

Stroking his growing beard, he nodded. "I already knew that, but thank you."

"Would you like the letters I received?" She asked almost awkwardly. Her face was red with embarrassment, feeling almost useless. Shao raised an eyebrow to question her judgement.

"You were foolish enough to keep them?" He asked astonished. "What would you have done if they were discovered?"

"You just revealed my warden to be one of your pawns. He would have done nothing."

"You didn't know that," he chided exasperated. "You should not have tried to forge out on your own. You weren't ready."

"I didn't have another choice," she countered, fishing for the letters in a slit she had made in the mattress. "Had I stayed, I'd undoubtedly been executed. Or placed in Lord Cao Cao's harem. You know that."

Having found the letters, she handed them to her teacher. He frowns, briefly skimming through the detailed correspondence. To his surprise, there was much that he had yet to hear and he was glad that she kept them, though he'd never admit it.

He walked back to the door, his eyes falling onto his disgraced student. "I will be traveling back to Wei shortly. I trust that I won't have to pay anymore visits in order to receive my information? Master Lei Fong is quite skilled at cutting things."

"Yes, my lord. It will be done."

"I hope so," he slightly smiles. "For your sake."


	11. Chapter 11

The screams of small children - mainly his children - filled the southeast courtyard of the Xuchang Palace. Every now and then, the Major would look up from his work and frown at them. His subtle attempts to quiet them down went completely unnoticed majority of the time. It was times like these that he missed having Lady Liu there to quiet the children years ago. Unlike his wife, Lady Zhang Chunhua, the arrogant Liu Xing didn't allow the children to be loud and obnoxious. Though never mean or rude, each child knew better than to misbehave around her on fear of her icy glare.

"Leave them be, Zhongda. Children are meant to be loud," his wife spoke softly from behind him. She carried his medicine in her hands and sat beside him on a bench. Two servants briefly joined the couple to bring out their meals. His eyes lingered on one of the women for a moment as the two shared a heated gaze. To prevent himself from laughing, he frowned as he recalled a night's encounter with the pretty woman. Chunhua pretended not to notice, not wanting to ruin the rare moment they were actually spending time together. She would deal with the girl later.

"How are Lord Cao Pi's lessons coming along? I can see he enjoys you as his tutor."

"We've a mutual understanding of one another," he chose his words carefully. Anyone could be listening to their conversation. Only Chunhua would be fool enough to bring it up out of the privacy of their home.

"I suppose a more equal companion than the girl," she assumed, flicking her brown locks. Since Liu Bei's daughter disappeared three years ago, her name had been submerged in a sea of scandalous rumors. Considering they were all Zhang Chunhua knew of the girl, she was quick to assume that some of them were true.

When he did not respond, she looked away, trying to think of more topics of conversation. Sima Yi wasn't a very sociable man and it was rather difficult for her to carry on conversations with him. Looking back on their marriage, she couldn't place her finger on what it was that made it spoil other than her husband's wandering eye.

"Shi and Zhao are excited for the celebration tonight. You'll be joining us, yes?"

"If my work allows," he sighed, annoyed with her. Nowadays her presence sickened him. If only Lady Bai were here instead of Chunhua.

A frail messenger made his way to the courtyard and as soon as Yi saw him, he sighed in relief. A small summons was in his hands and Zhongda snatched it away, tearing it open wildly. Chunhua smiled sadly at the messenger, sending him away.

"I'm afraid I won't be joining you all tonight," he informed his wife while thanking the heavens for his luck. "Master Xun Shao has summoned me for a conference this evening."

"A pity," she pursed her lips together, inwardly cursing the strategist. "Does he say what it shall be about?"

Her husband shook his head, still elated by the news. "I suppose I'll find out when I get there."

* * *

Lanterns littered the evening sky while various incense polluted the air around those outdoors enjoying the festivities. The mouthwatering aroma of freshly made mooncakes reminded her of home each time she passed a tea house on the way to the palace. Even her weary daughter turned to look as the comforting smell filled her nostrils.

Her feet carried her down the corridors, the eyes of every guard on her exposed leg. Since she was no longer a child of the court, she was fresh meat to them all. Not that anyone knew that it was her at all.

"Hurry along. We've only a short ways to go," she called down to her daughter, practically dragging the small child by her little hand. Although she meant to sound encouraging, her tone was more annoyed than anything. Indeed, she was annoyed and had good reason to be; her daughter had nothing to do with these feelings though. Rather, she was annoyed by her adoptive father, Xun Shao. After the birth of her daughter, she had finally found her footing in the around her father and those in his circle. Because of her secret affair with Liu Zhang, she'd been able to gather vital information about his military. Zhuge Liang now predicted that Yan Province would fall sometime early the next year.

As they approached the large oak doors guarded by two night watchmen, her heart began to race. What if this wasn't a casual meeting? What if her master had arranged a council to condemn her of treason? Xun Shao was a man that was difficult to please. Or perhaps he simply did not show it? She found it hard to read him. He was unreadable.

"State your business, woman," one of the guards demanded as his eyes fell from her voluptuous breasts to her toned bare leg. Her eyes narrowed at him and a distasteful frown befell her face.

"I've summons from Master Xun Shao. Let us pass."

The man next to him snorted, tossing his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Lord Xun told us who to expect. He said nothing of a prostitute and her bastard child."

Xing laughed, finding the two jokes of men comical. Had her daughter not been standing there, neither man would still be breathing. Stooping down, she picked up her child and turned her back to them.

"If I'm not allowed to enter, then please allow him to know that his daughter will be waiting for him in the library. He needs to come immediately after-"

"I didn't say you had to leave," he said and grabbed hold of her free arm, yanking her back towards he and his comrade. "The fun doesn't have to end because he's not here."

"Unhand me. Now," her deep voice ordered serenely. She could feel Jiang Hui tense up, clinging to her mother tighter as she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Noticing this, the other guard snatched the little girl out of her mother's arms. Having had enough, Xing twisted her arm out of the man's grasp and lunged at him with her piercers. Right as the tip was about to come into contact with his eye, a large hand took hold of her elbow and pulled her away from the bewildered guard.

"Calm down. You needn't be so quick to attack your allies," a disembodied voice soothed in her ear. He held her close, feeling her heated emotions simmer down. The guards stumbled back, quick to bow to their superior.

"As for you two, if Madam Liu so desired she could have you imprisoned for disobeying her orders," Xun Shao glared at the two guards. Not waiting for a response, he ushered the now woman and her daughter into the small council chambers.

"It's okay," Xing shushed her daughter as she sat down in a chair across from her master. The child continued to suck her thumb as she rested her head on her mother's lap, closing her eyes to sleep.

The young woman looked up at Shao before her eyes fell on the map. From the peculiar way the map figures were set on the table, she could tell that her Sima Yi had been there.

"Why was I called here? I was about to do something huge for Liu Bei and now my plans have been altered. What do you need from me?"

"You've handed over the Province to that bastard," he cut in and poured himself some wine. "While I'm highly impressed, I'm curious as to why you'd do it? As I know you're loyalty to the state of Cao Wei isn't questionable considering all you've done to assist our cause, I can't help but be concerned about this new…situation you've put Liu Bei in. Not only is he now able to establish his own kingdom. That's a setback for us."

"I understand your point," she said quietly, toying with her hair. "But as you can see, I've also done so for Lord Cao Cao. I'd been in contact with Emperor Xian. He granted him those nine bestowments because I was in his ear."

"At what cost?"

"I suppose promise of my companionship once I returned to Xuchang," she admitted quickly. "He knows that his reign is coming to a close. He feels if he has a more cordial relationship with The Duke of Wei, he won't be as disgraced when his time runs out."

The man chuckled, not at all surprised by his daughter's clever - yet risqué - tactic. Undoubtedly she had done the same with Liu Zhang.

"Very well. I think until spring you shall stay here and begin your lessons again. I'm sure you came up with a sound explanation as to why you were leaving for the winter?"

"Of course."

He nodded one last time, glancing down at his daughter's child. She looked familiar to him. She resembled one of the officers under his command. Just as he had stated years ago after the girl's birth, she looked nothing like her mother.

"…Is that all?" She questioned, stroking the girl's dark chocolate locks. He distantly nodded, forcing himself to look away.

But Xing stayed sitting there. Her thoughts were filled with questions about Jiang Wei and she wondered if he was still even in the army. She wanted to ask Shao but feared he'd do something to her former lover. Perhaps exile him or even worse.

"Don't bother wasting your time," he read her mind. "He's gone."

Her heart stopped as she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "What? Who? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play coy, my dear. I know you too well. Jiang Wei is gone-"

"What did you do to him?" She raised her voice. She'd been angry with Wei for no reason! Of course he'd tried to contact her! How could she have been so foolish? It was Shao's fault he hadn't. He'd done something horrible to him.

"I did nothing to him. He simply up and left. I don't know where he went," he responded flatly. "I had nothing to do with his disappearance. I can't even take your accusation seriously."

"How'd you know who he was then?" she crossed her arms. Her grip tightened on her piercers as she glared hard at her master.

"I apologize for the fact that you're not over this childish affair with a man who's only goal was to take advantage of you. I get that it's like you to be remain stuck on the past; however, I find the idea of you thinking that I care who you're spreading your legs for utterly insane. You should be ashamed of such idiotic thoughts," he reprimanded. Xing's heart sank and she immediately felt remorse. Of course he didn't do anything. What would he have to gain from it?

"Forgive me," she bowed low, her face burning. "I now realize the foolishness words and beg your pardon."

Slowly sitting down, his eyes fell back onto his map. He no longer felt like speaking about the upcoming battle with her. No, she needed time to rest.

"That is all, General. Please see yourself out."

Without another word, she turned and left with Hui.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey you guys! This is pretty much the halfway point of the first book in my trilogy. Thank you all for your support with the follows and favorites, but especially the reviews you all leave. It really does help so I thank you guys a bunch!

Since the story is starting to wind down, I wanted to take the opportunity to warn about the next one titled _Tainted Love._ Since many of you read the first edition of it, you already know that there's a lot of domestic violence and such in it. I'll warn again, but I wanted to make everyone aware long before that time comes.

Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

"…reinforcements will be sent immediately. Thank you," Lord Xun Shao dismissed the messenger who interrupted their meeting. Turning back to his protégé and the other delegates in their circle, he dropped the scroll back onto the table.

"Mistress Liu, you said that you'd important documents to show," Sima Yi spoke in a condescending tone. He narrowed his eyes maliciously at his former student, annoyed by her presence. When she arrived back to Xuchang, she did little to hide her dishonor. As she had become a dead topic of discussion only recently, new and current news involving her and her spawn engulfed the social world. Even Chunhua was talking again.

"Yes," she began, standing up. Glancing at her daughter sitting in the corner, the girl immediately silenced. "Emperor Xian's wife, Empress Fu Shou, is plotting against our Lord."

"How so?" Shao asks, stroking his goatee while masking his disinterest. Reaching into her bag, she presented a letter with a broken seal and handed it to the chief strategist. His eyes skimmed over the correspondence between the empress and her father. Murmurs of intrigue filled the room.

"This letter is old," he noted, passing it off to another advisor. "What would you have me do with it?"

Xing smiled, everyone's attention on her. "As everyone, with the exemption of my daughter, in this room knows, our lord will undoubtedly be livid. Not only does this give us a reason to have the sitting empress deposed, but it leaves an opening to insert a kinswoman into Emperor Xian's court. Adding in one more claw."

"Though I hate agreeing with her, she's right," Sima Yi nodded, genuinely surprised by Xing's intelligence. Despite years having passed, he expected the same rash and pompous teenager he despised to say something idiotic for him to attack her on. Perhaps his teachings hadn't been a complete waste on her…

Xun Shao nodded, standing with the empress's letter in his hands. "I shall present this to Lord Cao Cao," he informed the congregation. Though he wouldn't dare tell her, he was proud.

Collecting her daughter, she walked out of the small meeting room with Sima Yi. Nostalgia filled her almost frozen heart, somewhat warming it. Sometimes she wondered if she'd see him differently if he wasn't married…

"I almost forgot!" She exclaimed, turning to Cao Pi's close friend. "I brought gifts for the children-"

"From Shu?" He asked, sounding almost disgusted. "That's nearly an insult, Lady Liu."

She bit her lip, glancing away. The look on her face was one of embarrassment. "They're no ordinary gifts," she slowly spoke, trying to regain her excitement. "I put much thought into them so I think I'll give them anyway." Holding her head high, she starts walking a bit faster in the direction of the courtyards. She could hear the children's laughter coming from there. "Of course, you don't have to accept your's."

Frowning more, he looked away. Though against his will, he was somewhat curious.

The young children did not notice the two approach them as they ran around wildly. Xing watched on curiously as Sima Shi and Shen Yang chased two other boys around. Both young boys looked around the same age. One had light brown hair and the other dark but both carried the air of the Sima. It was then clear that both were Zhongda's but only one Chunhua's.

Jiang Hui quickly hid behind her mother's leg like that would hide her being there. Having to only clear his throat, every one of his children gave him their undivided attention.

"Lady Liu's back!" A young voice squealed happily. Shi's chubby legs ran to her like she was his bread and water. Leaning down she picked him up, kissing his cheeks. Yang soon followed, however, with less enthusiasm.

"I brought presents," she announces, smiling smug. Sitting on the ground, she carefully removed a circular box from her bag and handed it to Sima Yi's eldest son. "Barbecued pork wrapped in a silky smooth bun. They're the finest in China."

Turning to the two new children, she awkwardly beckoned them over. "When I left four years ago, neither of you had been born yet," she began, removing her twin blades from her sides. Glancing up at Sima Yi for confirmation, she saw his look of concern. Laughing, she unsheathed one of the swords and presented it to the boy with the light brown hair.

"What's your name?"

"Zhao!" He declared proudly, his bulging eyes glued to the blade.

"This sword is called Dìyù. It is the Yang of Yin and Yang. I can't hand it over to you now, but there will come a time when you will require it and at that time I shall show you how to wield it."

Removing the other sword, she turned to the other child. "This one, my favorite, is called Tiāntáng. It is the Yin of the Yin and Yang. Rumor has it that he who wields it shall always have the heaven's favor."

Sheathing both, she lastly turned to Yang. The day he arrived played vividly in her mind: a small weary child seeking out Sima Yi. Xing realized that had she not come to his assistance, he'd been turned away and most likely killed. Having asked about the Shen family during her travels in Shu Han, she'd come to know the large bounty on the little boy's head.

"You like horses, don't you?"

He nodded calmly.

"Well then let me tell you a little story. They're are these people up north called the Xiongnu. They're said to be some of the best riders in the world and their horses - oh, their horses! - They're legendary. Phenomenal even. Anyway, as I was in town one day for a nice stroll, I happened to pass by a nice little stable. And I just so happened to happen upon a particular colt," she smiled before gesturing towards the stables. "Why don't we have a look-"

"Lady Liu Xing?" A strong voice asked from behind her. Snapping her head up, Xing looked back at three of Emperor Xian's guards looming over her. Immediately her heart began to race.

"How may I be of service?" She asked cautiously, standing up. Her arms were suddenly seized by two of the men as the other spectated. At first glance she recognized him as Liu Qian. He served as the head of the royal guard.

"You are under arrest for conspiring against his highness the emperor. Come quietly."


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you going to tell me or are we going to continue this?" A burly soldier questioned dangerously. Gripping her robes, he forced her to look at him through her blackened eyes. Flecks of spit hit her face as he continued bellowing demands to her. His speech, however loud he grew - however many more times he struck her - she ignored the pain. Only on occasion would she release a grunt. Near the cell doors, Liu Qian stood with his arms crossed - a smug grin on his face. He was impressed with his kin's resilience. She would not be broken by mere fists.

At last, the brute soldier threw the woman down into the stone wall before turning on his heels and walking back to his superior.

"She's not going to respond to just this. Perhaps something more-"

"Her fingers," Qian's eyes narrowed as he stared at his distant cousin's hands tied in front of her. When he'd first learned of her existence when she arrived in Cao Wei, he'd sent his agents to watch her. Over the years, he'd developed quite a document on her. As his men had discovered, the woman soldier's proffered weapon were piercers. Without her fingers, she would be unable to fight. If she was unable to fight for Wei, she'd lose her value and would likely be killed.

His soldier looked at him in disbelief. In all of his former sessions, he'd been forbidden to perform amputations. Now, his boss was asking him to do so.

Withdrawing a knife from his hip, an eerie grin creeped onto his face. Lady Liu's blood was already splattered over the floor and wall, but it wasn't enough. He wanted more. He needed more.

"We will wait first," the head of the emperor's guard said quickly. "I want her to feel it. I want her to fully feel the pain."

"Of course, my lord," the man bowed, masking his disappointment. He was looking forward to hearing her scream.

Unlocking the door, the two casually waltzed out of the cage; speaking of lunch plans.

As soon as their footsteps silenced, Liu Xing let out a groan. Everything hurt her from head to toe. She felt she'd been there for days when she knew it'd only been a few hours. Patiently, she took the beatings in silence - waiting for Liu Tao to absolve her.

Everything had been planned for months now. He was running far behind on schedule and time was dwindling down rapidly. Already she'd been beat into a bloody pulp. Once Liu Qian and his sadistic friend came from their break, they'd begin to remove her fingers.

Xing shook her head, wanting to laugh at her own stupidity. She now realized that her plan was very ill-planned. For a moment, she believed that Liu Tao had given her up to his brother or the Emperor. But of course he hadn't, for then she wouldn't be being interrogated. Liu Qian would already know who she was getting her information from. No. If he'd given her up, she'd been dead hours ago.

The rustle of more footsteps jarred her from her thoughts. Through her blackened eyes, she saw a figure standing at the door. Because he would not step forward into the light from the window, she could not make out who he was.

"Have you come to do away with me?" She inquired boldly, once again hiding her pain.

Stepping forward into the light, the man dropped to his knee and bowed. Only then was she able to recognize him as Liu Tao.

"You're late," the brunette woman scoffed.

"My lady," he began. "My sincerest apologies for my tardiness. I accept full responsibility for this transgression and will humbly accept my punishment after Master Liu is dealt with."

She didn't respond to him, looking out of the window. The young man quickly unlocked the cell door and crouched down before her. Gently taking her wrists, he cut the rope binding her. Her wrists were already raw.

"Are you able to walk?" He asked, meeting her gaze. To his surprise, her expression was hostile rather than grateful.

"I am not a delicate flower," she insisted softly, despite her not being in a position to do so.

Without asking, the young guard picked her up, briskly carrying her down numerous dark halls. They passed hundreds of prisoners who were missing their limbs. Some bore expressions filled horror and pain while others merely stared blankly at the stone walls around them - staring off into oblivion. As they approached a final hall, one man violently slammed his head against the stone as if mad. He screamed incoherent words each time. Each bang more blood splattered onto the wall from his forehead. Taking pity, Liu Xing reached for a knife off of her savior and tossed it into the cage. The crazed man scrambled for the knife like it was food and he was starving. Laughing maniacally, he hacked the weapon across his own throat. Black blood spurt out of his neck like a fountain as he drooled even more of it. Falling onto his side, his body convulsed wildly as his blood pooled around him. As he lay dead, a contented smile plastered his face. His vacant eyes were on her's.

"He was mad. You did him a favor," Liu Tao remarked and continued out out of the prison.

Outside, six men dressed in white robes stood waiting on them. As soon as the door opened to reveal Lady Liu, everyone fell silent and bowed. Liu Tao placed her back onto the ground and joined his men.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, loud screeching came from the palace. Turning to look, Xing watched as Empress Fu Shou was dragged by two of Cao Cao's men. The emperor watched his wife struggle in horror as she begged him to spare her life. He only backed away to the safety of his palace.

"What of Master Liu Qian?" Xing turned back to the men kneeling before her.

"He's already in custody. His highness, the emperor, has removed him as the head of his guard. You are the new head agent, my lady."

She frowned at the second in command, hiding her excitement. "Why was I chosen? Were you not your brother's second in command?"

"You are one of the few people his highness trusts. You are the daughter of the Liu Bei," he remained bowing. "He knows that it was you who uncovered Master Liu Qian's corruption since his service of Emperor Lingdi. You are the best fit to serve as head of his guard."

Xing couldn't help but smile. The man was silver tongued. As custom since the beginning of the creation of the guard, agents were loyal to the commander before they were loyal to the emperor.

If she controlled the emperor's agents, then she controlled the emperor.


	14. Chapter 14

She had decided to split her new troops throughout the kingdoms. With four hundred men in the emperor's guard, she decided to split the troops evenly in the three regions. One hundred men would be sent to Sun Wu to learn naval techniques and another hundred sent to Shu Han to develop more knowledge of military strategies and agricultural techniques. For the remaining two hundred, she intended to split them between their formal duties to the emperor by protecting him and maintaining order in the capital and creating more elite soldiers for her in Xiliang. There, she planned for them to learn to be master archers and riders with the help of the Xiongnu.

This small army was not for her though. No. She wouldn't live long enough to see the Cao fall. Perhaps, though, Shen Yang would. Or a grandson.

"How long are you intending to hide away in here?" A toneless voice spoke from the doorway, jarring her from her thoughts. Snapping her head up, she locked eyes with Xun Shao. He wore a a smirk on his face as if pleased with his effect on her as she scrambled to hide the documents before her. What she had could be considered treason and since Shao was completely loyal to the Cao family, it'd be best not to let him see. He could not know.

Sighing, she waved him into the room. Her heart slightly pang with in disappointment. "I thought you were someone else," she stated coolly, hazel eyes only glancing at him before returning to her previous engagement. She had noticed her Master's eyes on the documents before her. Curiosity was written all over his face.

If only he knew. Curiosity would lead to his untimely death.

"My apologies," he started, his infamous smirk still plastered on his face. "Master Sima Yi is with his wife and children at the moment."

All of the color immediately drained from her face. Trying to regain her composure, she gently released her pen into the inkwell. Putting on a look of disgust, she looked up at him. "I don't want that serpent in my room. He is evil and I hate him," she spoke quickly, pouring them both a drink. "I'd much prefer he be-"

"Don't finish that sentence," he interrupted her. "You speak things into existence that you know you don't want."

Bashfully, she looked out to the window. Barely, just barely, was she able to watch her daughter frolic about in the courtyard with the other children. She felt a frown form on her face as she watched while Shao continued talking. It was the first time that she'd ever seen her baby genuinely happy. Hui was a solemn child. She never smiled in the presence of others and always cowered. She didn't really speak either. It was almost as if she was afraid to. Afraid of punishment from her mother.

Xing couldn't deny she had pushed the child, however. Ever since she acknowledged the girl, she showed her a minimal amount of affection. Because she wanted Jiang Hui to be strong willed like herself, she implemented a sort of tough love towards her.

But of course that wasn't the only reason for her cool attitude towards the frail child. The miniature version of herself was the reason everything went wrong. Before getting pregnant, she'd been happy with Jiang Wei. She felt she'd lost everything because of that child and resented her greatly for it.

When she was born, she refused to feed her. None of the maids could either, for she forbade it.

It was only when the babe lay dying that she allowed the child to nurse.

"A pity, isn't it?" Xun Shao mused, watching the children as well. "She'll always be quiet and afraid to speak her mind."

Because of me, Xing thought. Because of me!

"Is that such a bad thing?" She questioned, putting away her files in a false hiding place, checking to make sure the fading bruises on her face we're covered before stepping out into the hall with Shao.

"Nothing sets her a part from the rest of China. Opportunities to use something other than her looks won't come to her as they did you."

The mother slightly smiled. Jiang Hui was a beautiful child. She often pondered on how such a plain woman could produce such a gem.

"You'd deny her if she asked for your tutelage?"

"Perhaps," he decided, stroking his goatee. "If I felt she wasn't competent enough to utilize the information she'd learn."

His protégé laughed, not too offended by his words. In truth, she wanted her daughter to be just as fierce and distinguished as she was but knew the probability of it happening was slight. Her child didn't care for such things as she did. She showed little curiosity. Little potential.

"You're gaining quite an amount of time attention," he mused, changing the subject. "Your involvement in politics is meant to be subtle. Could you imagine what would happen to you if your… colleagues from Shu Han found out? What they'd do to you once you were back there?"

Xing grimaced. It was unlikely that information would get across the country. Her men had just cleansed out the court. Those whom were even suspected of being informants disappeared.

"I didn't intend for all of China to know about what happened with the palace," she spoke carefully. "Of course that doesn't excuse it happening regardless."

"Simply keep in mind that you have much to lose now. You've too far to fall if you slip up," he warned, rounding the corner into the library. Without looking back, he beckoned her to follow.

Of course though, she couldn't. There were other matters that needed her attention. Liu Qian had been awaiting his execution for far too long. "Thank you, my lord, but no. I still have a lot of paperwork to finish so I must bid you a goodnight."

Bowing, she started off before suddenly remembering something and returning to the library. Xun Shao raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her back.

"Don't spend too much time here tonight. I left a gift in your chambers."

He raised a thick eyebrow, a slight frown growing on his face. "It's not another mutt, is it?"

Xing laughed, recalling that memory from years ago. It was a little known fact that her father figure in Wei loved animals. Thinking it a nice gesture, she brought a stray dog from the streets to give to him as a pet. When she left it in his chambers, knowing he'd be gone for only a few minutes, the animal chewed up his scrolls and got ink everywhere.

Shao could live with that; however, that wasn't all that the dog had done. When he made a bone out of his flute, it was the end for the poor puppy.

"No, it's not a dog," she smiles, forcing herself to sound like she's lying. Not waiting for him to respond, she hurried off towards the city. Halfway through her walk, Liu Tao appeared at her side. He wore the guard's usual white robes and a stoic expression.

"What are you doing?" He questioned calmly, masking his concern. It was not procedure for the Head of the Chuàngzào Dìnggòu. She wasn't supposed to deal with prisoners once they caught them unless it was a special case and they were looking to interrogate and torture their victim. They did not arrest people so it wasn't a public matter and she didn't need to bring attention by her presence or growing suspicious.

"We're going to handle Master Liu-"

"We've already dealt with him, my lady," he interjected, escorting her back in the direction from which she came. "With all due respect, you are to keep your hands clean. Leave the dirty work for us," he said lowly.

"What did you do to him?" She stopped. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Her right hand sighed heavily. Some things were best to just be ignorant about.

"We took his nails and teeth until he gave us the information we desired," he spoke bluntly. "Once we had what we needed, he was put in a carcass and tied to a tree. My brother's body was gone within hours."

For a long time, she stared in horror at the man before her. He wasn't mournful in the slightest, which for some reason, made her proud. He killed Liu Qian, his own brother, just as she would've.

* * *

"You have to stay in the bed this time. Do you understand?" He asked the small girl before him. Her large brown eyes questioned him as she clutched her doll. He felt a sliver of pity for her.

"She'll be here in the morning," Sima Yi promised the child yet again. It had been two weeks since Hui had seen her mother. Xing, being overly self conscious of the aftermath of her torture, had shoved the young girl on him to take care of. Unsure of exactly how to care for a girl, he tossed the responsibility on his wife. Zhang Chunhua had never been fond of Liu Xing - seeing her as nothing more than a pompous whore - and wherefore wanted nothing to do with her daughter.

Forcing what he hoped to be a reassuring smile, he moved towards the door. A fragile whine erupted from the girl's throat; her grip on her baby doll tightening. She wanted to beg him to stay, but could not. She was afraid.

The man rolled his eyes, sighing. He knew better than to try to leave. She'd only follow.

XXX

Liu Xing finally slipped in well past dark when Hui had finally slipped into a peaceful sleep. Zhongda remained seated where he had been, reading through a scroll. He did not notice her enter.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation," the woman began quietly, walking over to him, "and an apology."

His dark orbs locked on her's coldly. Without him even needing to speak, she understood his anger. "Perhaps I can make it up to you?"

"How so?" He asked and stood. Xing couldn't help but smile at the sight. His ebony hair fell down his shoulders tidily like a stream running its course. His robes were ever so slightly out of displace from his readjustment to standing. He'd taken off his hat.

"We can go to the library and analyze strategies or look at some maps. Oh, and I have wine."

He scoffed at her proposal, secretly wanting to accept. "It's late," he argued. "My wife is undoubtedly waiting for my return."

"Lady Zhang, of course," she sighed. Though he wanted his student to believe he was a devoted husband, she knew better. Sima Yi had many concubines and a countless number of other affairs. "Would you really like to go home to her?"

Without so much as a second thought, the advisor followed her to library down the hall. For hours, the two sat and drank; sharing thoughts on politics and such. Xing told him stories of her travels throughout the rest of China - stories of how she had struggled with acceptance in Shu and how she'd been sent into exile at Baidi. She confided in him about how Jiang Hui hadn't been an only child and that she had had a twin. With the desire to end her pregnancy without a baby, she'd done everything in her power to abort Hui. When doing so, however, she'd been successful at ending one of the children, not knowing that there was another until it was too late.

Rather than voicing how appalled he was by her lack of conscious or morals, he merely listened. She appreciated his detachment. For years, she'd kept her past actions tucked away in the pocket of her brain. She'd forced herself not to feel the pain of it because in truth, she felt guilty. She was remorseful, not for the dead babe, but for herself. She was unable to love anything and was just then realizing it. For once' she could admit that she was still hurt by Jiang Wei. He had forgotten about her.

"You," she finally spoke after a long pause, drinking a large gulp of wine. They were both already a bit inebriated. "I've told you my secrets. Tell me one of yours now."

Sima Yi couldn't help but laugh. Drunk, he found himself unable to stop. Soon, Xing joined in, neither knowing what had been funny. Abruptly, and quite awkwardly, his hand was on her face. Gently, he moved an unplaced hair behind her ear; staring intently at her face. Electricity shot through her body.

She was so plain, yet so beautiful.

"I missed you while you were away," he finally admits, locking eyes with her. A small smile tugs at her lips, her hand finding its place atop his. Closing her eyes, she removed his hand from her face but continued holding it. He moved in closer to her, his lips brushing against her's. Just when the longing became unbearable, Xing closed the gap between them. The heat of his mouth set her body on fire. With each touch of his fingertips onto her bare skin, she burned more.

Who'd have thought that Zhongda, the most tightly wound and emotionless man in China, could be so passionate.

"My lord?" A faint voice whispered. Pulling away from his student, he looked up and saw his wife.

The woman hid her hurt with a blank expression. It was not the first time she'd caught him with another woman.

"Come. It's late," she frowned, her husband quickly going to her side. "Lady Liu," she addressed coldly. After she'd taken care of her daughter for the past two weeks, this was how she repaid her?

Not permitting her to say anything, she walked out with her husband.

If it was a war that the Liu whore wanted, then it was a war that she'd get.


	15. Chapter 15

Liu Xing stood with her twin blades drawn, a sanguine expression on her face as she looked between her two students. If she attacked Shi, her son would be permitted an easy opening - one she could possibly not recover from - while on the other hand, if she attacked Yang, Shi could do the same. But of course, she thought, Yang wasn't as strong on foot as Sima Shi so she could use that to her advantage.

However, Shi also had a problem with his left eye…

Dropping her twin blades into her hands from her sleeves, she kicked the dirt from the ground into her son's eyes. Turning to Sima Yi's son, she swung her blade to meet his in a deadlock. Overpowering him with brute force, though it was growing more difficult as the years went by, she attacked his left side. The boy parried her attack, falling back to create distance. With a bloodthirsty smirk, Xing put away her blades and began circling him. Spinning her piercers in her hands, she glanced over to a charging Yang. She'd foolishly miscalculated the amount of time it'd take him to be able to see again.

The young teen lunged at her, sword getting dangerously close to her face. Yang was within nine feet of her…eight…seven…

Sprinting two steps, Xing threw her muscular body into the air as his blade cut through her hair. With her iron gauntlet, she meticulously slapped the flat side of his blade, knocking it from his hands as it crashed into a tree far from them.

"Had I been your enemy, you'd been captured," she glared at her son, placing her piercer at the attacking Shi's neck without so much as a glance. "And you'd be dead."

"It would appear that you cannot win without playing some sort of trick," Chunhua remarked cooly, calling for her son. The boy bowed to Xing dutifully before going to his mother. Turning her attention to her own child, the young woman looked down at him with a cold frown.

"When you're fighting, my son, you are fighting to kill. Not merely to harm someone."

The teenager scoffed, following her as she walked out of the courtyard. "I've said before that I prefer fighting horseback, yet you insist otherwise and I don't think I understand why."

She sighed heavily, entering her chambers and throwing down her weapons on the bed. It angered her when he tried to play her as a fool.

"Yang, I know that you can perform better than that…mediocrity you did today. You think that if you keep showing my your lack of potential in the area, which I know is completely false, that I'll give in and let you train with the cavalry. Well," she observed his hopeful eyes, "I am."

With a satisfied smirk, the boy bowed low to his mother. "I didn't think it'd be that easy."

"I am to be traveling back to Shu soon. I will be needing someone to make sure you don't get yourself and Shi killed while I'm away-"

"Shu," Yang spat, gaze hardening. Even the word brought back the painful memories of his childhood as his family home went up in flames and his mother and father along with it. "I thought your allegiance to them was finished?"

The woman smiled sadly, placing a bowl of steaming rice before him. "I am the daughter of the dragon of Shu. No matter what, no matter how much I desire it to be untrue, I will always have ties to that kingdom."

Shoving the bowl away, he shot up in anger. "So you've chosen those bastards?" He questioned harshly. It was as if the room had been set ablaze by his fury.

"Some things are better when you don't know everything, son."

"Does Shao know?"

She turned away from him with a sigh, playing with a ring on her finger. He had no idea.

"I've yet to inform him," she hesitated, knowing that it would only upset him more. "Shao doesn't need to know everything that I do. Neither do you."

"You're committing treason!" He growled, balling his fists. Xing's cool eyes narrowed at the forbidden word.

Oh, if only he knew!

If he'd been anyone else, even Jiang Hui or Xun Shao himself, he'd no longer be among the living.

"You should be more careful with that word, son," she spat his title, her speech tranquil. Turning back to face him, her deadly honey colored eyes locked on his.

Neither needed to speak for they knew where they stood with one another. No longer were they mother and son. It no longer meant anything.

They were enemies.

* * *

"You were away for so long. I was afraid that perhaps I had scared you off," he father uneasily laughed. A small, hesitant smile formed on his lips as he took a sip of his tea. She smiled too, watching as her daughter played with his side lock. Secretly, it was irritating her. Hui was far too old or such behavior.

"I had to settle some issues abroad. Not to mention I was out…hunting," Xing responded. "Speaking of, why don't we discuss what I've brought back?"

Rather than leaning in to listen, the warlord stood from his seat, still holding his grandchild. He took pity on his child, seeing the fatigue on her face. "We may discuss it in the morning. I'm sure you're weary from your travels."

Xing pursed her lips together, sitting back. She didn't want to sleep. She couldn't. That would leave her alone with her thoughts - certain thoughts she didn't want to think about.

"Of course. I suppose, then, that I'll bear you a farewell until the morning comes," she spoke bashfully, taking her child from him and placing her back on the floor. Hui's expression returned to one of sadness as she looked back to her feet like usual.

"I almost forgot," his silvery voice called out as he turned back from the door. "A few years ago, a soldier by the name of Jiang Wei joined us. He had come looking for you but when he couldn't find you, stayed-"

"So he's here now?" She inquired, overly excited. Her father nodded his head, already at an understanding of what that information meant to her - everything.


	16. Chapter 16

Liu Xing's heart pang in her chest. For the first time in a long time she was lost for words. She was unsure if it was pain that she felt or anger. Hurt or rage?

Jiang Wei, who had at first tried to embrace her, now searched her amber eyes horrified. He'd betrayed his nation of Cao Wei, in part, for her. There he'd left his mother and everything he'd known.

"Say something, please," he almost begged.

The years of his absence replayed in her mind. Not once had he even attempted to contact her. Each night she had been haunted by the memories of him and how things could've gone differently. Of course, it was her fault that she'd left him without any warning, but it was justified! If she'd told him why she was leaving, or even if she'd just said she was leaving, he would have tried to follow her. That would have jeopardized not only herself and her child, but her mission as well. So, she'd choose to be angry.

"What are you doing here?" She asked cooly, composing herself.

"That's cold. Even for you," he frowns, closing the door behind her. He felt his heart sink, the once slight irritation growing.

"Surely you didn't expect anything different," her cold eyes gazed into his as she sat down in a chair. "Considering you never even made an attempt to contact me, I'm completely justified in my behavior." She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I'm not a hard person to track. You simply chose not to."

Jiang Wei exhaled exasperatedly, running a hand through his bangs. When he'd imagined this meeting, this was not how it was supposed to play out. "Regardless, we're both here now," he carefully smiled. "Why not let go of whatever happened and start from here?"

A small, sad smile crept onto her face. "If only it could be that simple. We're not children anymore. We have responsibilities that have to come before all else," she quietly disagreed as she thought of her bastard daughter and her duties to her country, neither in which he knew anything about.

"Why? Here, we can practically do what we want so long as orders are followed."

Xing suddenly felt herself laughing uncontrollably. Though she wanted to call him naive, he was right. Her father was so desperate to build a relationship with her, despite her gender, that he didn't even punish her for Hui. The small exile was merely for show and as soon as her daughter was born, he welcomed her back with open arms. It had been Xing's choice to stay at Baidi longer. Even after having Hui, Lord Liu Bei was extremely tolerant of her coming and going. When she disappeared without warning and left Hui with her ladies-in-waiting, he practically took care of the child himself. When she returned, sometimes months later, he said nothing about her absence and filled her in on what she had missed in her daughter's development.

Often, she blamed it on the aging man being in denial. Or, perhaps, it was that he felt guilty for abandoning her as an infant and was making amends through Hui.

Or maybe he just didn't really care. Maybe he saw her as the lost cause that she was and stopped caring.

"Fraternizing with me at this point will only ruin your reputation," she stood. "Scandal will surround you which will, in turn, disrupt your duties as an officer under my father. I cannot allow that, soldier," she decided curtly. Wei frowned and followed behind her as she walked to her chambers. Quietly, she opened a door and walked in.

Rather than being dark, the room was lit by numerous candles. It looked as if she'd prepped her chambers for an encounter.

Seeing his expectant expression, the woman scoffed. "It's not for you. Hui doesn't need to be alone here in the dark."

"Hui?" He asked confused.

Xing felt the red creep up onto her cheeks. She didn't particularly want to tell him yet, but since she for the most part already did, she knew there'd be no point in hiding it.

Pushing aside silk curtains, she revealed a small room with a bed. Laying in the bed was Jiang Hui peacefully sleeping.

"I left Wei because I was with child. I feared what would happen if it came to light," she finally admitted. Not willing to face him, she kept her back to the man.

She wasn't sure how she was meant to feel. On one hand, she felt that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. No longer would she feel the need to hide their daughter from him. Maybe now that he knew, Hui could be loved by at least one of her parents.

On the other hand, Wei could be angry with her for keeping the child from him for so long.

She cursed herself for thinking such childish thoughts. The emotions she felt, she decided, were ridiculous. She didn't even want him anymore.

"I take it by your silence, you're upset," she spoke lowly as to not wake the child. Turning on her heel, she brushed past her former lover back into the main chambers. Wei stayed as he was, still staring at their creation.

"You could have told me. You should have told me," he tore his eyes away, letting the curtain fall back. Slowly, he walked passed Xing. His interest in continuing their conversation had come and gone.

Deciding it best not to let things end in such a poor manner, Xing chased him down the hall. Not daring to call his name and wake someone, she moved as fast as her legs would carry her. Jiang Wei did not look back or even acknowledge her presence. His care for her at the moment was gone.

"Please stop," she begged. As she reached out to grab his arm, he suddenly spun around and shoved her onto a wall. A lone arrow soared passed them and landed in the wall beside them.

Liu Xing closed her eyes, listening as her agents almost silently dealt with the would-be assassin. That had been a security breech and she'd need to punish them for it.

Jiang Wei loosened his grip on her, not yet fully letting go. Xing watched him wistfully. Though she didn't want him in her life much, she needed him for Hui. As often as she abandoned the child, she'd owed it to the girl to give her ah least one stability. Or ate least to try to.

"Let go," she whispered, turning her face as he leaned in to kiss her. In the distance she could see a figure garbed in white approaching them, clearly her right hand Liu Qian.

Releasing her, Wei muttered a curse under his breath. Dismissing her with a wave, he stalked off in the other direction.

"My lady," the man bowed before her. Small spots of blood stained his uniform. He'd dealt with the man himself.

Not uttering a word, she latched onto his arm and walked back to her chambers. Subtly, as if they were being watched, she slid a scroll from her sleeve into his as they embraced. Because she was known for taking many lovers, such a improper display of affection would be spared from suspicion.

"You are to deliver that to Master Sima Yi personally. Not another soul can know," she admonished, angling herself to look as if she was kissing his neck. She knew quite well that there were spies who watched her at all times. Not every one could be caught yet.

Though her father wasn't suspicious of her motives, there were others who were.

Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu for instance.

"It shall be done-"

"Also, if the carelessness that happened a few minutes ago happens again, I'll have you hanged. Am I clear?"

Liu Qian smiled gently, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "Perfectly."


	17. Chapter 17

"…reinforcements to Hanzhong. Also, send my condolences to Lord Cao Cao and the late general's immediate family," the strategist ordered halfheartedly. Scribbling his signature onto a document to be sent to Cao Pi, he finally looked up at the messenger and handed him his message.

Now to turn his attention back to Lady Fu…

"My lord," a flat voice addressed from the doorway. Agitated, the advisor whipped his neck around; an insult for who he thought was the messenger sitting on his tongue. Rather, he found that it was instead a lackey of his former student. Particularly the man that always followed her around.

Sima Yi was unsure whether to allow the man to enter or not. Glancing around the chambers, there were no guards. Liu Qian also had his sword at his waist, hand on the hilt.

Hiding his angst, he willed exasperation onto his face. "I've no time for another meeting. Your master should have scheduled a meeting prior-"

"I won't be requiring a meeting for this," he spoke lowly, shutting the door on his way in. Though killing Zhongda sounded quite appeasing to him, it wasn't what he was there for at the moment. Reaching into his sleeve, the soldier removed the scroll given to him by Lady Liu Xing.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smirk. "Not even freshly out, and she already needs my help. I can't say that I'm surprised."

In truth, though he would never admit it, the strategist was a bit curious as to what she wanted. After their night of drinking and laughing, she'd cut almost all contact with him. Other than a mandatory bow when passing, she showed little interest in engaging him further. She'd stopped attending their recreational study sessions after the incident as well.

While Sima Yi was not much of a man to dwell over frivolous things such as the feelings of a foolish woman, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her small and inferior brain. Did she call herself retaliating against him? Was her silence supposed to be a punishment for the kiss? A kiss that meant nothing to him now?

The sly lapdog of Lady Liu flashed a smirk at the other man before frowning again. He turned his back as if he was readying to leave.

"I would be very careful if I were you, my lord. She may be a woman, but she has the power and cunning of any man you could name. Making an enemy of her would be very unwise," he warned before sauntering out.

* * *

"You'll behave for your ladies?" The mother asked her daughter, examining her from in a mirror as she packed a bag for the road. She'd be traveling northeast with an envoy of reinforcements to assist General Zhao Yun in Hanzhong. She needed to prove her loyalty to father and intended to do so by slaughtering her former comrades.

Jiang Hui nodded her head eagerly. "Yes, mother."

Really, she only took her mother's words at face value. No matter how well she behaved while she was away, there'd always be something that she'd done that deserved punishment.

"Good," Xing put on a fake smile, looking away. Guilt suddenly tinged at her heart. She had unintentionally met her child's eyes and in them she witnessed the most immense of sadness and void.

She knew what her mother had not yet told her.

Sighing, she stood from her chair. Reaching into a box that held many of her most prized possessions and took out a large silver hairpiece with two black onyx gems in it wrapped in a brown cloth. Looking at Hui's mesmerized expression made Lady Liu smile.

"When I was but a girl, perhaps around your age, I was taken to Cao Wei by many soldiers," she recalled. "Because of my relations to your grandfather, the people there were very mean to me. I was an outcast."

Jiang Hui stared blankly at her mother, unsure of where the story was going. If they are so mean to her, then why does she always go back, she thought.

"Do you remember the Lady Zhen?"

She nodded. "Lord Cao Pi's wife, yes."

Her mother pursed her lips, annoyed by the thought of him but nodded. "She was kind to me when no one else was. Anyway, she gave me this a long time ago. I never got the opportunity to wear it, but I believe that you will so I want you to have it."

The young girl's face lit up with a smile. Xing held in a gasp. She'd never recalled the girl smiling genuinely over something her mother did or said. In truth, she could count on her hand the number of times she'd seen her child smile in nearly ten years of life.

She reached further into the box and took out her flute. While mainly Xun Shao taught her to play it, Lady Zhen helped a great deal too. "This, though I hardly have the time for it nowadays, was at one point my escape from everything. When I was sad or angry or bored…I'd find a private place to be by myself and just play. I know you don't know how to play it, but maybe you'll happen across a teacher. Or maybe, by luck, be able to teach yourself-"

"Why can't you teach me?" She asked curiously, as if she didn't already know the answer.

The usual frown returned to Xing's face and she looked away, avoiding Hui's gaze. "Well…I'm going to be going away for a while. I'm going to go assist Master Zhao Yun in Hanzhong."

She looks down bashfully before looking back up her mother. Xing stooped down so that she was eye level with the child. "Are you coming back?"

"Maybe," she lies.

"Oh," Jiang Hui looked down at the hairpiece. She saw her reflection in the gemstones and frowned more. Xing had certainly never been a good mother to her and not much would change in her life with her leaving, but she couldn't help but feel odd. She felt an emotion that she was unfamiliar with.

She wasn't sadden by her mother's departure. That was a feeling that she'd long since forgotten how to feel.

No. She felt…angry.

Xing suddenly wrapped her arms around her child. She had half expected it to be awkward, as she'd never done such a thing, but it wasn't in the slightest.

Hui did not hug her back.

Forcing herself to smile and the child again, she stood up and walked through the curtains at the doorway and left. Outside of the room was one of her soldiers. She did not have to even stop and look at him to know that he wasn't Liu Qian. That alone forced an annoyed expression onto her face.

"He had orders to carry out in Xuchang," a feminine voice explained as if her superior didn't know.

Xing whipped her neck around quickly to look at the person who'd spoken. Since when were there any women other than herself?

"Who are you again?" Liu Xing asked as they started walking towards the city gates. Six other members of the _Chuàngzào Dìnggòu_ systematically fell into their positions behind her as they walked. Around fifty men stood at attention at the opened city gates. Rather than the white they were assigned to wear, each man wore black with wide cone shaped rain hats to conceal their faces.

"Fa Minghua, my lady. I shall serve as your right hand until the return of Liu Qian," her small voice squeaked as she fell back and allowed Xing to examine her men.

A dark ebony horse was brought before her. Mounting it, she made her way through the rows of soldiers, her dark eyes gleaming down on them. This was to be their first time fighting in a battle as members of Lady Liu's guard.

"You are to be silent and precise. Do not engage the Wei soldiers unless absolutely necessary. Most importantly," she spoke, looking around at everyone, "stay alive."

Nodding to Fa Minghua and the other notable higher ups, they each mounted their horses and moved towards the gates.

Xing looked back at the palace that she'd never see again and frowned. What seemed like just yesterday when she had arrived here had been almost a decade ago. She thought of all of the fond memories - she thought of Liu Shan. She'd not gone to see him as she did her daughter.

Would he grow to hate her once he discovered her treachery? Would he even comprehend what she was going to do?

She shook the thoughts from her head and looked forward through the gate. It was too late to rethink her decision. She'd chosen a path and would stick to it.

"Forward! We march towards Hanzhong!"


	18. Chapter 18

The scent of fresh morning dew filled her nostrils as Lady Liu observed the peaceful scenery of the mountains. The wind gently blew through her tawny tresses gently, the stray strands swaying. The chatter and laughter of her men only made her more tense than she already was though it did not show.

"Lady Liu," Fa Minghua's honey voice addressed her superior. Long ago did she separate herself from her soldiers.

With an inaudible sigh, the older woman turned to face her subordinate. The raven haired girl eyed Xing expectantly, excitement in her eyes. It would be her first time witnessing the ferocity of battle and she felt she was beyond ready. "We're ready to continue when you are, my lady."

She blinked twice, taking the girl in for a moment. While the enthusiasm she had was greatly appreciated, Xing could not help but feel a bit put off by her. Not only was her arrival both abrupt and strange, but Liu Qian hadn't mentioned it at all. She also seemed to be too comfortable around her commander. If there was one thing that anyone she'd come into contact with in her life knew was that she valued her personal space and keeping everyone at an arm's length. Fa Minghua didn't seem to take the hint.

"We've quite a while before Master Zhao Yun expects us," she responded flatly, turning away once more. "There's no rush."

Without even looking to see her expression, Liu Xing knew that the girl was disappointed. Casting a final glance back, she sighed again. "You're quite eager, aren't you?"

"Yes, my lady. I am," she admits with a goofy grin. "I feel this is my opportunity to prove that I'm not useless like everyone has been taught to believe."

Xing raised an eyebrow, only half interested. Her thoughts were far from the situation at hand. "Oh?"

"Perhaps," the young woman began, taking a step closer to the commander, "perhaps I can one day be as renowned as you."

At that moment, Lady Liu's heart stopped. Her mind raced back to the child she'd left behind in Chengdu and a strange feeling engulfed her being. Her dislike for her Jiang Hui grew again despite having just gotten over it. Why couldn't she be more like Fa Minghua?

Whipping around, she opened her mouth to speak. "I hope you all enjoyed your break. It shall be the last of its kind for a long while," her strong voice bellowed as she mounted her horse once more.

When they finally arrived to Hanzhong, General Zhao Yun was already awaiting them. Jumping off of her horse, she approached him and respectfully bowed.

"My lord, do pardon me. I had no intentions of making you wait on me," she lied without flinching. The general looked up from the map and nodded, excusing her.

"On the contrary, your timing is quite excellent. I require your assistance," he responds, rising from his seat. In his hands was a detailed map showing their location and that of the known locations where Cao Wei soldiers were. She narrowed her amber eyes at the drawing.

Seeing her eyes on the item in before him, he cleared his throat. "Master Huang Zhong has not returned yet from Beishan. I've decided to go search for him."

She slightly gasped, her mouth slightly open. "Search for him yourself?"

"Not alone, of course not. As I mentioned earlier, your assistance is required." He pauses for a moment as he starts out of the tent. "They say you were trained by not only one strategist, but two. Xun Shao in particular," he spoke, stopping to look at her as he said Cao Cao's advisors name. Xing kept a straight face, flawlessly feigning indifference.

"Yes. If I may be so bold as to inquire why you've asked…"

Zhao Yun looks out towards the closed gates as the soldiers scurry about making preparations. "We may very well come into contact with him."

She closed her eyes, a smirk creeping on her face. "So you want me to deceive him? You are aware that that is easier said than done, my lord?"

"Are you beginning to doubt yourself or are you having second thoughts about your loyalties?"

"Not at all, my lord," her sultry voice hummed. Revealing the piercers in her hands, she began to spin them as she thought of coming face to face with the man who'd been her true father figure. It was nerve-wracking yet exhilarating. She'd finally be able to put all of those long hours of studying and training to work. She would use his own knowledge against him for the time being.

She was going to crush him.

"I shall gladly assist you," she smiled at the general, "and I thank you for the opportunity to cross blades with my former master. I promise you won't regret it."


End file.
